34 



PREHISTORIC EUROPE. 



the mild and moist winds from which modify alike the heat of 

 summer and the cold of winter. And this of course is more 

 especially the case with the countries of Western and North- 

 western Europe. As we recede from the Atlantic coast-line, 

 and pass inland along the same parallel of latitude to the 

 central and eastern regions, we find that the difference between 

 the seasons becomes more and more strongly marked, until 

 when we cross into Asia we meet with the greatest contrast 

 between summer and winter. The extremes of temperature 

 experienced in Europe on the same or nearly the same parallel 

 of latitude, are well shown by comparing the summer and 

 winter temperatures of the following places : — 



In Northern Asia and the corresponding latitudes of North 

 America, we encounter ranges of temperature which are greatly 

 in excess of those that are experienced in Northern Europe. 

 Thus at Jakutsk the mean temperature of July is + 62 c- 8, 

 while that of January sinks to — 40° - 4, a difference of as much 

 as 103°-2 ; yet Jakutsk is in nearly the same latitude as 

 Aalesund in Norway, where the July temperature only reaches 

 + 54 c- 5, and that of January does not fall below + 28 0, 8, a 

 difference of 24 0, 7. Again, at Fort Confidence on the shores of 

 Great Bear Lake, the mean temperature of summer (June, July, 

 and August), is + 48° - 2, and that of winter (December, January, 

 and February) — 22°"9 — a difference of 7l°"l, or taking the July 

 and January temperatures, we have for the former + 52° - 9, and 

 for the latter — 26 0, 7, giving a range of 79°-6. Now Fort Con- 



