Europe : — a popular Physical Sketch. 401 



The chief occupation of the Scandinavians is fishing, on 

 the western side ; grazing and agriculture on the eastern, 

 where also hunting, wood-cutting, and mining, form impor- 

 tant occupations. A thin population, and few towns, cause 

 the peasantry in many parts to excel in mechanical and 

 domestic industry. The Laplanders lead a wandering life, 

 without fixed habitations, and subsist chiefly by their rein- 

 deer, and fishing, from which originate the denominations of 

 ' Fjeldfinner' (mountaineers) and ' Sofinner' (See Laplanders). 



South of Sweden. — It has already been mentioned that the 

 southern parts of Sweden are cut offfrom the rest of the Scan- 

 dinavian peninsula by a number of large lakes, and a consi- 

 derable depression in the country. The thus separated part 

 (55° to 59° north lat.) possesses no large continued chain of 

 mountains, but several smaller ones, with a few lofty mountain 

 peaks and ridges. The highest mountains are Taberg, near 

 Jonkjobing 1,120 feet, and Kinnekullen, near Wenner lake, 

 906 feet ; the small ridges Hallandsaas and Kullen are low- 

 er still, and the southern extremity of the peninsula termi- 

 nates in a perfect plain. In the south and east appear the 

 islands of Bornholm, Oland, and Gulland ; in the first of 

 which, Rytter Knagten is the highest point, 512 feet. 



The south of Sweden although rich in lakes, possesses no 

 important river. The mountains consist not only of primi- 

 tive formations, but also of stratified rocks, in which appear 

 coals, which, however, do not belong to the older, or proper 

 coal formation. Of the mean temperature of this district an 

 idea may be formed by comparing Stockholm and Lund. 



Annual. Winter. Summer. 



Stockholm 59° 30' north lat 42.1° 25.3 61.2 



Lund, 55° 30'..... 45.5 29.8 62.3° 



At Lund, situated near the southern frontier, the annual 

 mean temperature is consequently 3.4 higher than at 

 Stockholm (1.12 lower than in Copenhagen,) the winter is 4.5 

 warmer than in Stockholm, but the heat of summer exceeds 



