For the purposes of our inquiry, it is a matter of indifference whether an antarctic continent exists or not; we have undoubtedly to deal with a continuous surface of ice, which the meteorologist must regard as a land surface as opposed to an open sea. This ice-cap is entirely isolated by an ocean which surrounds it, and is subjected to the peculiar conditions of polar day and night. Hence the first points to be considered are the average distribution of pressure and the direction of the prevailing winds. The positions (about 81° and 95° west longitude, and 69° 50′ and 71° 30′ south latitude) show a relatively small distance from the open sea and great distance from the pole. In consequence we experienced two distinct types of climate according to the direction of the wind,--a continental and an oceanic,--in effect a coastal climate depending on the passage of cyclones which varied in frequency with the seasons. This seems to be the key of the whole position. As regards details, I take into consideration the mean and minimum temperatures and the barometric pressures, the direction of wind, the amount of cloud, and the amount of precipitation. Table I. gives the mean values obtained from hourly observations of temperature made on board the _Belgica_ during her drift in the ice. July was the coldest month; its mean temperature was -23.5° C. (-10.3° F.), and the lowest temperature observed during the month, -37.1° C. (-34.8° F.). The extreme minimum of temperature was observed in September, -43.1° C. (-45.6° F.). The warmest month was February, with a mean temperature of -1.0° C. (30.2° F.), and minimum for the month, -9.6° C. (14.7° F.). If we regard June, July, and August as the antarctic winter months, and December, January, and February as summer, we may take it that the mean winter temperature is -16.8° C. (1.8° F.), and the mean for summer, -1.5° C. (29.3° F.). Table II. shows the minimum temperature for each month. The maximum temperatures are less interesting; the winter average is -1° to 0° C. (30° to 32° F.); the absolute maximum for the equinoctial months is 0° to 1° C. (32° to 34° F.), and for summer, 2° C. (36° F.).