THE VASCULAR FLORA OF MACQUARIE ISLAND.—CHEESEMAN. 
9 
Royal Bay, South Georgia. Lat. 54° 31' S., long. 36° W. 1882-1883. 
Month. 
Mean 
temperature. 
Mean 
maximum 
temperature. 
Mean 
minimum 
temperature. 
Velocity of 
wind, in feet 
per second. 
Rainfall in 
inches. 
January ... 
40-28 
44-96 
35-96 
20-7 
3-2 
February ... 
41-72 
46-58 
36-32 
23-0 
3-4 
March 
38-30 
42-98 
34-34 
22-0 
5-8 
April . 
32-90 
37-40 
29-12 
22-6 
3-2 
May 
31-64 
35-96 
26-78 
21-0 
0-6 
J une 
26-78 
31-10 
22-64 
18-7 
2-1 
July . 
27-86 
32-18 
22-64 
23-3 
1-4 
August 
34-16 
39-38 
28-76 
27-6 
3-9 
September 
30-38 
35-60 
25-34 
25-3 
5-0 
October ... 
34-34 
39-20 
29-66 
21-6 
4-6 
November 
37-22 
41-90 
32-54 
17-1 
2-8 
December... 
38-66 
43-70 
34-34 
23-6 
2-9 
Year 
34-52 
39-25 
29-87 
22-2 
38-9 
Note.— -The velocity of wind given, 22-2 feet per second, would correspond to 
364 miles per day. 
The seasonal figures derived from the three tables are as under :— 
Season. 
Mean 
temperature. 
Macquarie 
Island. 
Mean 
temperature. 
Orange Har¬ 
bour, Fuegia. 
Mean 
temperature. 
South 
Georgia. 
Rainfall. 
Macquarie 
Island. 
Rainfall. 
Orange 
Harbour, 
Fuegia. 
Rainfall. 
South 
Georgia. 
Spring 
39-9 
42-19 
33-98 
9-89 
12-5 
12-40 
Summer ... 
43-9 
46-75 
40-22 
11-95 
15-7 
9-50 
Autumn ... 
40-9 
41-13 
34-28 
12-92 
17-5 
9-60 
Winter 
38-6 
37-13 
29-60 
11-10 
11-7 
7-40 
Year ... 
40-7 
41-80 
34-52 
45-86 
57-4 
38-90 
The outstanding peculiarity in the climate of Macquarie Island is its extra¬ 
ordinarily small diurnal and annual range of temperature. In this, however, it agrees 
with all the subantarctic islands situated in similar latitudes. According to the returns 
placed in my hands by Mr. Hunt, the extreme range of temperature during 1912 was 
only 25-8 F., while the mean range during the same year was only 5-6 F. More 
amazing still is the fact that the mean difference between the three summer months 
and the three winter was only 4-3 F. Figures like these compel agreement with 
Professor Rudmose Brown’s dictum (Problems of Antarctic Plant Life, p. 5), where he 
says, “ One could, with much truth, say that the antarctic summer is but an astro¬ 
nomical conception; those who have experienced it know how little reality it has.” 
Another noteworthy feature is the excessive amount of wind, the mean daily velocity 
for 1912 being 435 miles, equivalent to 18 miles per hour. It is unexpected, 
however, to find that the force of the wind is greater at Macquarie Island than at 
South Georgia, where the mean daily velocity is 364 miles. It cannot be doubted 
that the low summer temperature, the large amount of cloud and fog, and the constant 
38864—B 
