382 



BRITISH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XLI. BRITISH AMERICA. 



Polar Be.iir. 



1. Boundaries^ Extent^ and Divisions. This country, taken in its largest limits, is bound 

 ed iN. by the Arctic Sea, and Bafllu's Bay ; E. by the Atlantic ; S. by the United States, 

 and W. by Russian America and the Pacific Ocean. It extends from 42° 30' to an undefin- 

 able limit N., and from 55^ to 140° W. longitude. Its area is superior to that of the United 

 States. The principal divisions are Nova Scotia, Prince Edward's Island, New Brunswick, 

 Newfoundland, Upper and Lower Canada, and New Britain, or the Hudson's Bay Company's 

 Territories. 



2. Mountains. This vast region is traversed by the Eoclnj JMovnlains from north to south 



in its western part, but there are no other 

 considerable mountain ranges. Ridges of 

 hills separating the waters flowing into the 

 lakes and the Atlantic from those of Hud- 

 son's Bay, intersect the country in different 

 directions, but are not lofty. Yet much of 

 the surface is rugged and broken. 



3. Vegclation. An account of the scan- 

 ty vegetation of these dreary regions has 

 already been given under the head of North 

 America. That of the northern parts is 

 similar to that of Siberia and Lapland, 

 while in the more southern portions, the 

 vegetable productions become indentical 

 with those of the United States. 



4. Jlnimak. The polar bear, the wol- 

 verine, the musk-ox, the reindeer or cari- 

 boo, the ermine, the polar hare, and the 

 Arctic fox, have t]ie most northern haunts 

 among quadrupeds. The barren ground- 

 bear, the otter, the beaver, the musquash, 

 leming. Parry's marmot, vison, wolf, and 

 hare Indian dog, are also found in high 

 northern latitudes. The black bear, the 

 grisly bear, the moose, the silver fox, the 

 Rocky Mountain sheep and goat, the lynx, 

 pekan, pine marten, long-tailed and black- 

 tailed deer, bison, wapiti, various squirrels, 

 and most of the marmots, and the jumping 

 mouse, are met with further south. The 

 birds are mostly the same with tnose of the 

 United States, niany of which have their 

 summer haunts in these wild regions. Vast 

 flocks of the different sorts of geese, ducks, 

 and gulls, &c., common to Arctic Europe, 

 are spread over the whole tract. The pied 

 duck, one of the most elegant of that fami- 

 ly is truly an Arctic bird, and the Eider 

 duck is confined to the northern latitudes. 

 The frozen seas of the Arctic regions are 

 thronged with animals, which are covered 

 with a thick coating of fat, to screen them 

 from the intense and lasting cold of these 

 icy waters. Here the huge whale, the nar- 

 whal, the walrus, or morse, and various 

 kinds of seal, whose haunts would seem to 

 be safe from the all-grasping hand of man, 

 are made to give up their oil, their ivory, or 



BlaeliBear. skins for l:is use. 



Beaver. 



