X CONTENTS. 



229-236. Has the Climate of Palo,stiiie remained luichangecU 231, 232. The 

 Culture of the Date-Palui and its relations to Climate, 232, 233. Fischer quoted, 

 232. Bellevv cited, 233. Liot on the Climate of China, 233. Arago on changes in 

 the Climate of Tuscany, 233 ; of France and England, 234, 236 ; changes supposed 

 by him to have taken place in North America, 23.5. Investigations of Loomis and 

 Newton again mentioned, 236. Change of Climate in Central Franco, 236. 

 Dying out of the Forests in Iceland and Lapland, 236 ; in the Alps ; in Siberia, 

 237. Vegetation of the Steppe working westward, 237. Name of the month of 

 November in various Sclavonic languages, and inferences from this, 237, 238. 

 Strong evidence of a Change of Climate in Greenland, 238 ; Arago cited on this 

 subject, and his views in part controverted, 238, 239. History of the Colonization 

 of Greenland (in note), 238, 239. Decay of Iceland, 239, 240. Increasing diffi- 

 culty of access to the North Polar regions, 240. Summary of evidence of Change 

 of Climate within the Historic Period, 241. — Examination of the question 

 ■whether there has been a Change of Climate during the Geological Epochs, 

 241-2.57. Why the evidence must come almost exclusively from the Land, 242. 

 Ilesults of the investigations of Les(]uereux on the Fossil Plants of the Gravels of 

 the Sierra Nevada, 243 ; on the Fossil Vegetation of the Rocky Mountains, 244- 

 246. Proofs of former Warmer Climate in the Cordilleras, derived from the Fossil 

 Remains of Animals, 246, 247 ; S. H. Scudder cited, 247. Evidence afforded by 

 the Fossils of the Carboniferous Limestones in (irinnell Land, and North of the 

 Arctic Circle, 247, 248. — Investigations by Heer of the Fossil Plants of the 

 Arctic Regions, 248-250. Former extensive development of the Carboniferous 

 form.ation in high northern latitudes, 248. The Vegetation of the Cretaceous 

 period, 249. The Miocene plants of West Greenland, 249. Vegetation and 

 Climate of the Arctic Regions during the Tertiary epoch, 249, 2.50. — Saporta's 

 Review of the indications of Changes of Climate afforded by Fossil Vege- 

 tation, 251-253. Character of Climate indicated by the Plants of the Carbon- 

 iferous epoch, 251 ; by the Vegetation of the Cretaceous period, 251. Conclusions 

 with regard to the Character of the Climate in Central Europe during the Tertiary 

 Epoch, 251, 253. — Summary of Evidence, and General Remarks on Climate 

 and 'Weather, 254-257. Arago's Tables of the Times of the Freezing of the 

 Great Rivers of Europe and of the Occurrence of Mild and Severe Winters 

 commented on, 254, 255. Obscurity of the Causes of the Fluctuations of the 

 Weather, 256 ; they are not connected with the Sun-spot Cycle, nor regularly 

 recurrent, 256. The Movements of Storms can be indicated after they have 

 begun, but the Time of their Inception cannot be predicted, 256, 257. 



SECTION VII. 

 Theories of the Cause of Temper.iture Changes 257-264 



General Sketch of the Various Theories proposed to account for the Changes of 

 Temperature on the Earth, 258. Poisson's Theory, 259. Theories connected with 

 supposed Changes in the Position of the Earth's Axis, 259, 260. Sir W. Thom- 

 son's Opinion of them, 260. Changes of Climate as connected with the Cooling 

 of the Earth's Interior, 261. Sir VV. Thomson again cited, 261. The Diminish- 

 ing Heat of the Sun indicated as the probable cause of the Earth's Lessened Tem- 

 perature, 262, 263. Newcomb cited, 262. Sir W. Thomson cited, 26.3. Resume 

 of Chapter III., 204. 



