West of this line from June to December is generally fine, and often very dry, the rest of the year being the wet season.

East of it the weather is exceedingly uncertain, each island, and each side of an island, having its own peculiarities.
The difference seems to consist not so much in the distribution of the rainfall as in that of the clouds and the moistness of the atmosphere.
In Aru, for example, when we left, the little streams were all dried up, although the weather was gloomy; while in January, February, and March, when we had the hottest sunshine and the finest days, they were always flowing.

The driest time of all the year in Aru occurs in September and October, just as it does in Java and Celebes.

The rainy seasons agree, therefore, with those of the western islands, although the weather is very different.

The Molucca sea is of a very deep blue colour, quite distinct from the clear light blue of the Atlantic.