S. HaugMon— Eccentricity of the Earth's Orbit. 437 



tribution of land and water. This is of course possible; but 

 such a variation must follow its own development," and be quite 

 independent of eccentricity or perihelion. 



I shall allow, however,' the advocates of this theory permis- 

 sion to make the terrestrial factor what they please (within the 

 'units which the observed facts of climate permit), and then 

 inquire whether the theory can account for geological climates. 



1. I take as my first example the present climate of Discovery 

 Harbor, Grinnell Land, close to the Miocene Plant-beds:— 



I have el- fche July temperature of Dis- 



covery Harbor, during Miocene times, was probably higher 

 than 63°-7 F. : that is'to saw 26°'5 F. hiaher than its present 

 amount This would require, at the time of maximum eccen- 

 tricity, an annual range of temperature greater than 120° "7 F.f 



The foregoing amounts to a demonstration, that a change in 

 the eccentricity of the earth's orbit from ¥ * T th to T ^-th would 

 not produce in Grinnell Land the summer temperature necessary 

 '" ripen its Miocene fruits, unless it were accompanied by such 

 a redistribution of land and water as would raise the annual 

 range of temperature from 77°"8 F. to 120°'7 F. ; that is to say, 

 increase the already great range by more than half its present 



I have no hesitation in saving that (with the present quantity 

 of sun-heat) this amounts to an impossibility. 



The greatest name of annual heat now found in N. America 

 occurs at Melville Island, where we have— 



•nilv temperature, + 42°-M5 F. ; January temperature, — 36°'40 

 F -; range, 78°-75 F. 



The greatest known annual range of temperature occurs (as 

 we might expect) in the northeastern part of Europasia. Ob- 

 m years give the follow- 



er 16°-73 F. she 



