THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH. 



continuous night ever witnessed. The warmth of summer is 

 produced by long days, combined with moderate meridian 

 altitudes, and the rigour of winter is mitigated by the presence of 

 the sun above the horizon for a considerable interval, even on the 

 shortest days. 



It must not be understood, that within the limits of what is 

 thus called the temperate zone, the climates are uniformly the 

 same. On the contrary, in approaching those limits, at which it 

 is united with the torrid and the frigid zones, the character of 

 the climates approach gradually to those peculiar to the one extreme 

 zone and the other, so that the climates of the higher latitudes of 

 the temperate zone differs but little from those of the lower 

 latitudes of the frigid zone, while those of the lower latitudes of 

 the temperate zone, approximate gradually and insensibly to 

 those of the higher latitudes of the torrid zone. In fact, within 

 the limits of the temperate zone are included a much greater 

 variety of climates than any which characterise either of the 

 extreme zones. 



