Part II. 
Geographie, Climatie and Floristie Survey, 
Chapter I. Geographic Character of North America, 
1. General Survey of the Continent. 
d Ellesmere Land, extends from 
North America, excluding Greenland an 
go N. latitude to North Cornwall 
Point Mariato on the Isthmus of Panama in 
Island 77° N. latitude, and lies between 56° west longitude, that of Cape Race 
Newfoundland, and 170° W. longitude, that of St. Lawrence Island, Pribilof 
islands and the island of the Four Mountains, belonging to the Aleutian Island 
chain, the westernmost of which west of the 170° of west longitude are ex- 
cluded from consideration. The coast line of such a large portion of the earth’s 
Surface is most irregular and highly diversified. Some portions of it represent 
physiographically a raised shore line, other parts of it have been depressed 
and may be considered to be drowned, as evidenced by deep fjords and nu- 
merous outlying islands. ‘The main continent, which is approximately rectang- 
ular, projects southward in three prolongations, viz., the Florida peninsula, the 
Mexican and Central American isthmus and the peninsula of Lower California. 
Each of these is different in its physiographic construction. Mexico and Central 
America are essentially continental, while the peninsula of California occurs, 
region of active land formation. Four coastal plains may 
Viz., the Pacific, the Arctic, the Atlantic ar . 
by numerous rivers, some of great size, which rise inland and flow to the 
sea. The Pacific coastal plain is characterize 
Streams and the comparatively small volume of water carried by these, with 
the exception of the Columbia River, which empties into Puget Sound. 
The principal physical features of the continent in addition to the plains 
Mentioned are very simple. There are two systems of mountains, one 
Near the eastern coast, the Appalachian system, which trends parallel to 
the Coast, that is, nearly, north-east and south-west and is of little elevation 
and breadth npeied a the other. The other is the Cordilleran system, 
Which stretches from the Isthmus of Panama to Bering Sea and has its greatest 
