LABRADOR CURRENT 



3288 



LABYRINTH 



Itclnted Subjects. Tin- reader is referred to 

 the following- articles in the.se volumes: 

 Algonquian Indians Eskimo 



Aurora Borealis Grenfell, Wilfred T. 



Cabot. John X -\vfoundland 



LABRADOR CURRENT, a cold ocean cur- 

 rent, flowing; from the Arctic Ocean along the 

 shores of Labrador to a point near Newfound- 

 hind, where ir meets the Gulf Stream. The 

 influence of so considerable a body of icy water 



LABRADOR CURRENT 



The downward-pointing arrows indicate the gen- 

 rul course of the Labrador Current. The arrows 

 pointing in a northeasterly direction show the 

 roiu-se of the Gulf Stream. 



is felt as far south as New England. The 

 harbors of Labrador are blocked with ice for 

 about half of each year, whereas those of the 

 British Isles, situated in the same latitude, are 

 open to commerce throughout the year. The 

 difference is largely one of ocean currents, 

 Great Britain being warmer because of the in- 

 fluence of the Gulf Stream. The Labrador 

 Current is a considerable inconvenience to 

 shipping. The cold current has a chilling ef- 

 fect on the air, condenses the moisture and 

 irives rise to the heavy fogs off the shores of 

 Labrador and Newfoundland fogs through 

 which ships have to feel their way with great 

 caution to avoid collisions with other craft 

 or with icebergs. 



LABRADORITE, lab ra dam' He, or LABRA- 

 DOR SPAR, so named from the region where 

 it was discovered, is an orna menial stone used 

 for decorative purposes because of its fine play 

 of color blue, green, orange, purple and red. 

 The name is also applied to a species of fine 

 building stone imported from Norway, and is 



used by some .geologists as the name of a rock 

 group containing much augite. Labradorite is 

 generally dull gray in color but is susceptible 

 of a fine polish. The comparatively-rare iri- 

 descent variety is much used in inlaid work. 



LABRADOR TEA, a small evergreen plant 

 belonging to the heath family, which grows in 

 swamps in Greenland. Northern Europe and 

 the northern part of North America. The 

 leaves are tough, with a woolly brown cover- 

 ing on the underside, and when bruised are 

 very fragrant. They are dried and used as a 

 substitute for tea in Labrador, as suggested 

 by the popular name of the plant. Botanists 

 call it ledum, a word derived from the same 

 root as laudanum. The leaves of the plant 

 have narcotic properties and are sometimes 

 used as a substitute for hops in the manufac- 

 ture of beer. They also possess tannin, which 

 makes them of value in the preparation of 

 certain kinds of leather. 



LABUR'NUM, an ornamental tree, of the 

 pea family, prized on account of its bright 

 yellow blossoms and glossy foliage, which re- 

 mains green until late in the fall. It is some- 

 times called bean ire j oil tree, or golden-chain. 

 All parts of the tree, particularly the seeds, 

 are poisonous, and insects never molest it. The 

 English laburnum sometimes grows to a height 

 of forty feet, but averages about twenty feet. 

 In the United States it thrives as far north as 

 Massachusetts. The large species yield a very 

 fine-grained, hard wood, which can be polished 

 and is used for turning, cabinet work, inlay- 

 ing, etc. The poisonous substance contained 

 in the seeds of the laburnum is called cytisine. 

 LABYRINTH, lab'irinth. One of the best 

 known of all legends is the story of Theseus, 

 who with six other Greek youths and seven 

 maidens was sent into the Cretan labyrinth 

 to face the terrible minotaur. He killed the 

 monster, but would have been unable to find 

 his way out of the innumerable twisting pas- 

 sages of the labyrinth had not Ariadne given 

 him a skein of thread to unwind as he entered. 

 Until within the present generation it has 

 been supposed that the story was entirely fan- 

 ciful, and the idea of the labyrinth suggested 

 by a cave on the mountain side near Cnossns. 

 the ancient home of the Cretan kings. Now. 

 however, the remarkable excavations conducted 

 since 1900 by Sir Arthur Evans have estab- 

 lished the probability that the legend is founded 

 on events which actually took place. At Cnos- 

 HIS has been uncovered a marvelous palace 

 truly labyrinthic in its intricacies. On its walls 



