xxxiiia] EXCURSIONS AND EXAMINATIONS 411 



Many other answers showed a similar absence of know- 

 ledge upon this most interesting branch of natural history, 

 and one which may be made easily intelligible even to 

 children. 



The equally simple and interesting question as to what 

 geographical range of animals or plants means, is thus 

 answered : — 



(1) What is meant by geographical range is, that they are arranged 

 according to their shape and size. 



(2) The geographical range of a species of animal or plant is that 

 part of a country in which no species of animal or plant will live, only 

 the species which first originated there. 



In 1882 we had a question analogous to that so badly 

 answered in 1873 : " What is the cause of the long days and 

 nights of the Polar regions?" and the answers showed little 

 improvement in the teaching. Here are a few of them : — 



(1) The reason why they have long days and nights is because at 

 the poles they have only six hours sun, and the sun does not rise at 6 

 o'clock a.m. at the poles as it does here, but does not rise till nine and 

 ten o'clock a.m. 



(2) Because the sun only visits the polar regions a particular part of 

 the year. When the sun is gone the day only lasts a few hours. 



(3) The poles being so far from the equator. That is, it takes the 

 light a certain time to travel that distance. 



(4) At the N. Pole the Aurora Borealis ; at the South Pole the South 

 Australis sheds its light upon the Polar regions, the long nights are 

 owing to the Aurora disappearing. Long days may be also owing to the 

 Colures ; long nights to the moon not affecting the Polar regions. 



(5) In summer Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, being the bulk of 

 the land of the world, require a great deal of heat from the sun. Again, 

 when it is winter in Europe, etc., it is summer in Australia. Now 

 Australia being a very small part of the earth it will not require as much 

 heat as the other continents did. Consequently more heat can be given 

 by the sun to the Polar regions than in our summer. 



(6) The cause of the long days is due to the slowness with which the 

 moon sets, or, more correctly, the long nights, and when the moon does 

 set it remains a long time forming the long days. 



(7) The reason they have long days and nights is that the people 

 always catch the sun or the moon ; another reason is that they are 

 nearest the sun. 



(8) The cause of the long days and nights of the Polar regions is that 

 the days and nights are just the opposite to what it is stated in the 



