14 



THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



of the most insignificant of organized creatures, 

 whether animal or vegetable, suggests, without feel- 

 ing that the rejection of a mystery, because it is a 

 mystery, is the most besotted form of human pride. 



The sea-board of Europe, exclusive of Iceland, 

 extends through four degrees of latitude, and six of 

 longitude, occupying three sides of an irregular 

 quadroid. The northern, and narrowest, side, lies 

 within the Arctic Circle, is partly included in the 

 Icy Sea, and presents a deeply serrated outline, in- 

 dented in its centre by the great arm or gulf, known 

 as the White Sea. The western side exhibits all 

 varieties of conformation ; in its northernmost and 

 Norwegian portion, it is belted with small islands, 

 and indented with fiords. At the southern termi- 

 nation of Norway we have the tortuous gulfs con- 

 ducting to the Baltic Sea. The coasts of Denmark 

 and Holland form a tame boundary to the shallow 

 portion of the North Sea, itself originating in the 

 projection northwards of the group of islands of 

 which Great Britain and Ireland are the chief. The 

 deep bend of the Bay of Biscay carries us south- 

 ward, with a simple outline, to the junction of 

 France and Spain, and to the rocky and partially 

 jagged coasts of Asturias, from whence to the end of 

 Europe, at the Pillars of Hercules, a tame, and 

 but slightly-varied line prevails. The southern side 

 is of great extent and variety, forming as it does, 

 the wavy and irregular margin of the Mediterra- 

 nean, with its deep arms of the Adriatic and Egean, 



