From 20° to 25° south latitude the coast is even drier; Cossach, in latitude 20° 40′ S., receiving but 9·3 ins. (247 mm.), and Carnarvon, in latitude 24° 52′ S., but 7·83 ins. (199 mm.). In these localities the perceptible rainfall occurs in June and July. In the summer (January, February) some of these places are no doubt very hot, but the nights are nearly always fairly cool. In many of these places water is so scarce that a bath is a luxury scarcely attainable by any but the very rich, the precious fluid having to be eked out at what seems to us a fabulous price per gallon, or even pint. This difficulty is, however, being met in some places by enormous engineering works, and colonists may be met with who have a good deal to say in favour of these apparently inhospitable shores. _Pacific Islands._--The pages of Stevenson and Ralf Bolderwood have so familiarised us with the delights of these favoured spots--where it is always summer, but rarely oppressively hot--that it is probable that the general public have a better idea of their climates than is the case with almost any other tropical region. Owing to their comparatively small economic importance, it is, however, impossible to do more than supply a pair of tables illustrative of the climate of a few of the better-known spots. TABLE OF TEMPERATURE OF PACIFIC ISLANDS. ==========+==========+======================+ Island or| Latitude | Warmest Month | Place | +----------+-----------+ | | Name | Mean | | | |Temperature| | | +-----+-----+ | | | F. | ~C.~ | ----------+----------+----------+----+------+ Kauai |22° 15′ N.| August |76·4|~24·6~| Honolulu |21° 18′ N.| August |77·5|~25·3~| Hilo |19° 40′ N.|Aug.-Sept.|74·4|~23·5~| Jaluit | 5° 55′ N.|Jan.-Feb. |81·0|~27·2~| Apia |13° 49′ S.|Feb.-Mar. |78·6|~25·9~| Papiti |17° 32′ S.| March |78·5|~25·8~| Vanua Levu|16° 38′ S.| December |80·5|~26·9~| Levuka |17° 4′ S.| December |79·5|~26·4~| Tana |19° 28′ S.| March |79·7|~26·6~| Tongatabu |21° 8′ S.| February |79·0|~26·1~| Noumea |22° 16′ S.| February |80·0|~26·7~| Oparu |27° 36′ S.| March |72·5|~22·3~| ==========+==========+==========+====+======+