CLIMATE 
25 
The annual rainfall for Antananarivo is given at 53*7 
inches. The rainy season begins in November and ends 
in March; in these months there is an average rainfall 
of 9*7 inches. The dry season lasts from April to 
October, with an average monthly rainfall of -71 inches only. 
The prevailing winds are south-east (38 per cent), east 
(32 per cent) and north-east (12 per cent). South-west 
winds blow but seldom (i per cent) and north and west 
winds are not frequent (3 per cent). 
The beginning of the rainy season is announced 
by cirro-stratus and cirro-cumulus clouds. Fierce gusts 
of wind break the calm, the storm clouds discharge 
torrents of rain accompanied by heavy thunder, generally 
between four and five o’clock in the afternoon. In 
the evening the thunder becomes less violent, but the 
rain lasts till 10 or 11 o’clock. Every year lightning 
demands its victims, so that people have found themselves 
obliged to place lightning conductors on the houses. 
The abundance of rain that falls during a single 
tropical storm, is evidenced by the fact that, according 
to measurements taken by P. Colin on February ist, 
1892, 4*25 inches of rain fell in 15 hours. 
The cyclones or whirlwinds which occur during January 
and February in the Indian Ocean, often reach the 
island of Madagascar. 
They hurl large vessels on the shore, and their devast¬ 
ating effects are felt even in the interior. In the forests 
extensive districts are laid waste, and trees are over¬ 
thrown or torn up by the roots. The marks of these 
disasters, however, are quickly obliterated by the marvel¬ 
lously rapid growth of tropical vegetation. 
The fallen giants of the woods are instantly seized upon 
by a busy army of ants and termites ; in an incredibly short 
time they seem to be changed into touchwood, and soon 
a new growth of forest trees springs up in the place of 
the old. 
