fall is so comparatively slight. It must be admitted, nevertheless, that rains are frequent, if for the most part light, and an umbrella is by no means a superfluous article; indeed some of our more careful citizens rarely venture abroad without either an umbrella or a mackintosh. July, August, and September have come to be recognised as the months during which the most continuous rains may be expected, but this is not without exceptions.
There are others, again, who, with more justice, complain of our frequent winds. These, no doubt, occasionally test the condition of our roofs to the utmost, and if coming in autumn, as they sometimes do, the fruit-trees suffer severely. November, December, March, and April are the months during which these unpleasant visitors perform their highest jinks and sing their loudest songs. But, after all, taking these disagreeables at their worst, they are only exceptional, while our usual light breezes are healthful and invigorating, driving away miasma and purifying the atmosphere.
To sum up: It was, perhaps, after all, not without some reason that Mr. Maccabe, when asked, after his first visit to our shores, what was his opinion of the climate, replied, "Climate! Dunedin has no climate—only mixed samples." But, at the same time, it will be seen on reference to the table on page 299 that even in the worst years there are considerably more than one-half of the days in almost every month in which no rain falls, and on many of the instances noted a fair proportion are probably only showers of brief duration.
To the admirer of cloudland scenery, the streets in the upper portions of Dunedin afford frequent opportunity for the gratification of his favourite hobby. The variable climate brings with it an almost continual recurrence of sunshine and shade. Comparatively few days are entirely clear. Now, a heavy cloud overarches almost the entire hemisphere, and threatens possibly an early rain. Anon, a slight breeze springs up; the cloud breaks into many portions; the sun shines out from a patch of blue nearly overhead. Now a long and narrow stretch of azure appears over the south-western horizon, and presently the dispersing clouds, assuming, meanwhile, the most fantastic shapes, which may be interpreted according to the drift of the
