THE MUSEUM. 



245 



seen is caused by the perpendicular 

 current of air combining with tne hor- 

 izontal current which rolls along over 

 the elevated surface of the continent. 



I have intimated that the general 

 course of the wind is from the South 

 Pole towards the e(]uator. This im- 

 plies that its general direction is due 

 north, and this would be its course 

 were the earth at rest; but the diurnal 

 motion of the earth, from the west to- 

 wards, the east, gives to the wind a 

 northwesterly course. This wind blow- 

 ing as it does, across a frozen contin- 

 ent can contain but little moisture. It 

 must oi necessity be dry and cold, 

 But the counter current, rising, as it 

 does, from a warm ocean, and return- 

 ing to the continent, in the higher re- 

 gions of the atmosphere, carries with it 

 a large amount of moisture. This 

 moisture is congealed and falls upon 

 the continent in the form of snow. 

 Thus, are fed, the glaciers which are 

 constantly returning the moisture to 

 the ocean, condensed and congealed 

 into ice or icebergs. Thus the equili- 

 brium is maintained. 



Physical geography embraces that 

 science which treats of the distribution 

 (if the flora and fauea over the surface 

 of the globe; and this article, although 

 already produced to a greater length 

 thi.n was at first intended, would be 

 incomplete were this subject to be 

 omitted. There is, however, very lit- 

 tle to be said upon this subject. A 

 Continent u holly covered with snow to 

 a depth of many hundred feet, with a 

 temperature seldom, if ever, rising to 

 zerii, clouded in darkness of night dur- 

 ing half the year, and with the sun 

 continually above the horizon during 

 the other half, does not present con- 

 ditions that are favorable to the devel- 



opment of any of the types of either 

 animal or vegetable life with which we 

 are acquainted. Moreover, its isola- 

 tion from other land masses, sur- 

 rounded as it is by miles of drift ice, 

 with a constant wind blowing furiously 

 from its coast, and no current (except 

 in the upper regions of the atmospher) 

 drifting towards it, presents serious 

 difficulties to the migration of either 

 animal or vegetable life. No doubt 

 various species of the seal family find 

 their homes on its inhospital shores. 

 Birds related to the petrels and pen- 

 guins, may visit the continent for the 

 purpose of rearing their young. Fish 

 of various species, may abound in the 

 ocean near the shore but beyond these 

 few instances, no life is to be found 

 upon the continent unless it be of a 

 type differing from anything with which 

 \Ae are acquainted. 



Chipmunk and How He Excavated 

 His Burrow. 



The little striped squirrel or as he 



is sometimes called the ground squir- 

 rel is a common pest in this vicinity 

 and it has seemed to me the present 

 spring that I had never known them so 

 abundant in any former year. One 

 can scarcely enter .irchard or wood- 

 land without hearing every where their 

 incessant "cliick chick chick" bird-like 

 calls repeated as regularly as the tick- 

 ing of a clock and so mingled in the 

 spring with the songs and chirping of 

 woodland birds as to be scarcely dis- 

 tinguishable e.xcept upon near approach 

 when with a startling ''chick-a-re-rc- 

 rc" he dives into the little round hole 

 in the ground beside which he was loc- 

 ated and vanishes from sight and 

 sound. 



Everything seems to fill some place 

 in the econom}' of nature and the most 



