South Australia.—­As far as the southern regions of the colony are concerned, we may say, speaking generally, that light winds and calms are a very distinctive characteristic.  The prevailing wind in the summer is the S.E., varied by sea-breezes during the day.  In the winter there are mostly dry, cold N.E. winds, broken at intervals by westerly and S.W. gales of moderate strength, squalls, and rain.  The best and heaviest rainfalls are those which set in with the surface winds at N.E., the rain increasing in intensity as the wind veers to N.W., and breaking up into showers and squalls as it veers to S.W.  In the interior, north of, say, latitude 30 degrees to about 18 degreess., the prevailing wind all the year is the S.E.  North of latitude 18 degrees to the north coast the country is well within the influence of the north-nest monsoon during the summer months, with frequent thunderstorms and heavy rains; and during, the winter dry S.E. winds prevail.

Queensland.—­Eastern Queensland (or rather the Pacific Slope) is very seldom troubled with hot winds.  The hot winds of “continental” Queensland are always very dry, and are usually accompanied by dust storms.

CHAPTER II.

THE ALPHABETICAL PENTAGON OF HEALTH FOR AUSTRALIA.

A few introductory remarks on this subject will serve a useful purpose.  It will be seen that I have referred to the alphabetical pentagon of health—­which is purely a provisional arrangement of my own.  It consists of five headings, which fall naturally into alphabetical order.  They are best considered, therefore, in the following way, namely: 

* (a) Ablution—­the Skin and the Bath. * * (b) Bedroom Ventilation. * * (c) Clothing. * * (d) Diet. * * (e) Exercise. *

This is a convenient method of remembering the five great fundamental principles concerned in the preservation of health.  It will serve, moreover, as a means of impressing them upon the memory, superior to any other with which I am acquainted.

This very number five, indeed, has a more than ordinary significance belonging to itself.  It has been termed a mystical number.  “Five,” says Pythagoras, “has peculiar force in expiations.  It is everything.  It stops the power of poisons and is redoubted by evil spirits.”  According to the Pythagorean school of philosophy, the world is a piece of harmony and man the full chord.  The major chord consists of a fundamental or tonic, its major third and its just fifth.  The eighth note, or complement of the octave, is the diapason of man.  These are of course very highly imaginative speculations.  It is interesting to remember, however, that the system of astronomy first taught by Pythagoras was afterwards developed into the solar system by Copernicus, and is now received as the Copernican system.  But, turning from grave to gay, we find that five wits have been described, viz., common sense, imagination, fantasy, estimation, and memory.