r 



8 INK KK AtiK l\ CANADA. 



Aiiu'ricii, woiilil Iicif ii'siiiiKniy tn till' cxistiiin' (lirrcrciu-i' 



dl" clilllillc. 'I'lic Lli'dln^ist ;i|i|M';ils to llic siiiiic kiinl of 

 ('\ idflicc willl IvI'clTlicr In lllf clilllllli' nf illi' llltlM' 



tcn'liury iicriml, anil Irt ih i'iii|iiiri' wlial is its IcsiiiiKiny. 



"The lirst ami imtst tfi'iicial aiiswrr is ilial iIm' plcisto- 

 C'l'lli' cliliialr was cnMt'i- 1 liaii tlic liiinlrili. Tlic |intitf(if 

 tills ill wi'stnii |'!iii'(t|i(! is \('iy stioni;'. Tin' iiiariiic 

 fossils of this |i('iinil in IW'ilaiii aiv iimrr like tlic t'\istin;j; 

 fiiiina of Norway or of Labrador i liaii the pri'si'iit fauna 

 of I'tritain. ( li'caL t'\ iilciiccs cxisi of ilriftani' of lioitldiTs 

 liv ice, and traces of ulacit-rs on the liiulicr hills. In 

 North Anit'iira ihc |noofs of a riiioroiis clinialc, and 

 e.sjRM'ially of the tians|ioil of Imiilders and othci' niatorial.s 

 by ice, are ei|iially ^ood. and the niaiiiii' taiina all over 

 Canada and Xcw Knt^'laiid is of boreal ly|»". 



" AihnilLiiiL;", howcNcr, iliat a ri'^orous idiniate iire\ailed 

 in the i)k'istoeeiie iieiiod, it by no means follows that the 

 chan<fe has been e([nally Lireal in (lirierent. localities. On 

 the contrary, while a n'reat and inarki^l re\-oliitioii has 

 occurred in iMirope.the evidences of such chaiin'e are very 

 much more sli^'ht in America. In short, the causes of 

 the citldness of the |tleistoc(nio seas to some extent still 

 remain in America, while they have <lisa|)))eared or have 

 been moditicd in Kiiro}»e. 



" If we in(iuiro as to these, causes as at itreseiit existinj^', 

 we Hnd them in the distribution of ocean currents, and 

 cs[)ecially in the ^'ri-at warm current of the ,L;'ulf stream, 

 thrown across from America to Europe, and in the arctic 

 currents bathin.u; the coasts of America. In connection 

 with these we have the prevailing westerly winds of the 

 temperate zone, and the great extent of land and shallow 

 seas in northern Ameiica. Some of the.se causes are 

 absolutely constant. Of this kind is the distribution of 



