Conclusion. • 185 



CONCLUSION. 



And now in conclusion, for the benefit of the tourist and 

 non-resident in Canada, we would say a few words as to its 

 climate. The winter, which is generally considered by 

 travellers as an extension of that season at the poles, 

 though certainly severe, is not so unfavorable as it at first 

 sight appears, and its salubrity is proved by its elastic and 

 exhilarating atmosphere. Instead of altefnate rain, snow, 

 sleet and fog, with the broken-up roads of Europe, Canada 

 boasts of clear skies, and a bracing atmosphere, and the 

 "whole of the country is macadamized by nature." Few 

 who have enjoyed the merry winters, the hospitality and 

 pleasant society, the sleigh-rides and parties, the skating 

 rink and the "toboggin," can easily forget them. If 

 we seek European comparisons we find a parallel to a 

 Canadian winter at St. Petersburg, while the summer re- 

 sembles that of Paris ; but the sky rivals the former in 

 clearness. The advance in the temperature of the months 

 may be well illustrated by changes in the animal world ; 

 the song-sparrow sings in March, and the robin, while 

 the snow yet dapples the fields, will make frequent 

 attempts at a song. Wild geese visit the north about the 

 23rd of April, and in Eastern Canada the harsh, guttural 

 croak of the bullfrog is first heard in response to the music 

 of f4 merrie England" upon St. George's day. The transition 

 from winter to summer is so sudden, that it has been made 

 a subject of remark by all Europeans who visit the country. 

 With June comes the refulgent summer. The mean tem- 

 perature of that season ranges from 55 in the northern to 

 65 ° in the southern parts of the country, but the thermo- 

 meter often indicates a temperature more exalted than that 

 of the blood. The mean distribution of rain is 10 inches. 



