GENERAL 



253 



WINTER RAIN 



^^M OVER I 

 ^^ UNDER 



temperate, deciduous, broad-leaf t}^pe. Of this character 

 the oak and beech are the foremost representatives. 



In opposition to 

 Asia, in every respect 

 a land of sharply con- 

 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 

 to the moderating in- 

 fluences, i. e. the west- 

 erly breezes. Hence 

 the greater difficulty 

 of characterizing what 

 ' 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. 07. Regions of Europe receiving 

 more or less than inches of rainfall 

 during the summer thiee months. 



appear as 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 



