84 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
below the freezing-point. The melting and evaporation of snow 
now began, and went on so rapidly that the land in the end of 
the month was almost free of snow. 
Under what circumstances this took place is shown by the 
following abstract of the observations of temperature at Pitlekaj 
from the 13th June to the 18th July, 1879 :— 
June 13 
Max. 
-f 3*6° 
Min. 
8-0° 
_ 
Mean. 
1-95° 
July 1 
+ 
Max. 
0-8" 
_ 
Min. 
0-6" 
+ 
Mean. 
0-07^ 
14 
-f- 2-6 
+ 
0-2 
+ 
1-47 
2 
-P 
1-1 
— 
10 
+ 
0-40 
15 
+ 3-1 
+ 
1-7 
+ 
2*28 
3 
d- 
5-0 
+ 
1-0 
2-28 
18 
-f 1-6 
— 
0*6 
+ 
0-90 
4 
+ 
3 8 
-j- 
1-4 
-P 
2-68 
17 
-h 3 0 
+ 
0-2 
+ 
1-22 
5 
4- 
5-2 
4 - 
2-0 
3-60 
18 
+ 2-4 
— 
OG 
+ 
1-23 
6 
+ 
3-3 
+ 
10 
2-28 
19 
+ 3-6 
+ 
1-4 
2-43 
7 
+ 
5-0 
+ 
1-4 
-P 
2-68 
20 
-h 3-5 
+ 
1-7 
+ 
2-50 
8 
+ 
8-6 
+ 
06 
+ 
4-82 
21 
+ 2-6 
+ 
1-5 
+ 
2-07 
9 
+ 
1-8 
+ 
0*4 
0-97 
22 
-f 3 0 
+ 
1-5 
+ 
2-28 
10 
+ 
1-4 
+ 
0*5 
+ 
0-90 
23 
+ 4-1 
+ 
1*8 
+ 
3-00 
11 
1-4 
+ 
0-6 
+ 
TOO 
24 
-P 6-8 
+ 
0-9 
+ 
3-18 
12 
+ 
9-0 
+ 
0-5 
+ 
4-73 
25 
-p 44 
+ 
0-4 
+ 
2*30 
13 
+ 
6-5 
+ 
3-7 
+ 
5-03 
26 
+ 3-8 
+ 
0-6 
1-77 
14 
+ 
5-4 
1-8 
3-63 
27 
-P 1-4 
+ 
0-7 
+ 
1-02 
15 
-f 
1-6 
+ 
0-6 
+ 
1-13 
28 
d-2-1 
-+ 
0-2 
+ 
0-92 
16 
+ 
3-0 
+ 
0-6 
+ 
1-52 
29 
-p 0-9 
— 
1-0 
— 
0-12 
17 
-pil-5 
+ 
3*8 
+ 
7-80 
30 
-p 1-0 
~ 
1*8 
- 
0-27 
18 
+ 
9-2 
+ 
6-2 
+ 
7-52 
The figures in the maximum column, it will be seen, are by 
no means very high. That the enormous covering of snow, 
which the north winds had heaped on the beach, could disap¬ 
pear so rapidly notwithstanding this low temperature probably 
depends on this, that a large portion of the heat which the solar 
rays bring with them acts directly in melting the snow without 
sun-warmed air being used as an intermediate agent or heat- 
carrier, partly also on the circumstance that the winds pre¬ 
vailing in spring come from the sea to the southward, and before 
they reach the north coast pass over considerable mountain 
heights in the interior of the country. They have therefore the 
nature oifdhn winds, that is to say, the whole mass of air, which 
