406 Europe : — a popular Physical Sketch. 



5° more to the southward. Nevertheless this climate even 

 becomes mild when compared to that of North America. 



This considerable difference between the southern and 

 northern part of the island is probably produced by the 

 mountains which separate them, ^ind by the drift-ice, which 

 by a current from NE. is carried towards the east coast of 

 Greenland, and from thence to the northern coast of Ice- 

 land, where it remains occasionally till the month of June 

 or July, when it is carried in an easterly direction into the 

 Atlantic ocean. 



The atmosphere is rather damp and foggy, and the 

 weather variable. 



As above mentioned, the snow line in Scandinavia is lower 

 towards the coasts than in the interior of the country and 

 on the eastern side of the mountain chain, because the 

 foggy and cloudy sky of the coasts prevents the snow from 

 melting. In Iceland, exposed to the influence of the sea to 

 a still higher degree than the west coast of Norway, the 

 snow line might fairly be supposed to be lower, which in fact 

 is the case, for it is met with at an elevation of 2666 to 3200 

 feet. All mountains covered with eternal snow and ice are 

 in the Icelandic language called 'Jokler;' and such enor- 

 mous masses of ice which descend into the valleys, are from 

 their slowly proceeding motion called ' Skrid-Jokler,' syno- 

 nymous to the Norwegian * Jisbraer,' — i. e. avalanches. 



The Flora of Iceland is nearly the same as the Norwegian. 

 On the mountains the dwarf-birch, the little kind of willows, 

 and the Iceland moss are common. Of trees, Iceland pro- 

 duces but two, the birch, and the mountain ash ; and they 

 attain no great height. The scantiness of trees cannot 

 originate in want of heat, as trees are found both in Scan- 

 dinavia, in Siberia, and in North America, in localities whose 

 annual and summer climate is by far colder ; the cause must 

 therefore chiefly be attributed to the misty, damp sea air, 

 the strong gales, and the variable weather. In Scandinavia 



