The month of March, with a mean of 61° F. (16° C.), is cooler than February, and the absolute annual extremes of temperature are 91·5° F. (33° C.), and 43° F. (6° C.). The relative humidity stands very constantly about 70 per cent., and the cloudiness of the sky rather higher. The general direction of the wind is S.W., bearing more to the north in winter, and southerly in summer and autumn. There are on the average 159 days on which rain falls during the year, producing a total of 45·28 ins. (1,150 mm.) of rain; the most rainy month being October, and the least so April and June. There is very little variation during the twenty-four hours, so that the climate is well suited for delicate chests. These islands depend for water almost entirely on rain caught and stored in tanks, so that the amount obtained during the last shower is said to be one of the main subjects of conversation and interest among the islanders. _Madeira_ (Funchal). Lat. 32° 37′, Long. 16° 55′ W.--Situated off the coast of Africa, in nearly the same latitude as the preceding, this well-known health resort has a slightly lower mean annual temperature of 65·5° F. (18·6° C.); the mean of the coldest month, February, being 59·6° F. (15·4° C.), and of the hottest, August, 72·7° F. (22·6° C.) During twenty-five years the absolute extremes of temperature were 90·7° F. (32·7° C.) and 43·6° F. (6·5° C.). The air is drier than that of Bermuda, the relative humidity averaging 68 per cent.; March, with 65 per cent., being the driest, and July, with 70 per cent., the moistest month. The amount and distribution of the rainfall is as below:-- =================+====+====+====+====+====+====+ |Jan.|Feb.|Mar.|Apl.|May |June| -----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+ Rainfall {Ins. |4·18|3·18|2·87|2·13|0·92|0·53| {Mm. | 106| 81| 73| 54| 23| 13| No. of rainy days|10·7| 8·6| 9·4| 7·3| 5·3| 2·3| =================+====+====+====+====+====+====+ =================+====+====+=====+====+====+==== |July|Aug.|Sept.|Oct.|Nov.|Dec. -----------------+----+----+-----+----+----+---- Rainfall {Ins. |0·03|0·08| 0·67|2·38|5·28|4·67 {Mm. | 1| 2| 17| 60| 134| 119 No. of rainy days| 0·8| 1·0| 3·3| 7·9|10·5|11·6 =================+====+====+=====+====+====+====