GENERAL 



253 



temperate, deciduous, broad-leaf type. Of this character, 

 the oak and beech are the foremost representatives. 



In opposition to 

 Asia, in every respect 

 a land of sharply con- SUM1 

 trasted extremes, Eu- 

 rope shows gentle and 

 gradual variations of, 

 or departures from, 

 a uniform temperate 

 average, best exempli- 

 fied in the British 

 Isles as being: nearer 



O 



to the moderating in- 

 fluences, i. e. the west- 

 erly breezes. Hence 

 the greater difficulty 

 of characterizing what appear as 

 ' nuances ' of the vege- 

 table carpet, and of 

 indicating their geo- 

 graphical boundaries. 

 As may be expected, 

 starting from the At- 

 lantic shores and pene- 

 trating farther and 

 farther into the mass 

 of land, Europe may 

 be analysed into a 

 succession of strips or 

 belts of decreasing 

 equability and uni- 

 formity. The seasonal 

 and daily contrasts 



FIG. 97. Regions of Europe receiving 

 more or less than 6 inches of rainfall 

 during the summer three months. 



delicate shades or 



FIG. 98. Regions of Europe receiving 

 more or less than 6 inches of rainfall 

 during the winter three months. 



tend to be emphasized more 



