192 Europe : — a popular Physical Sketch. 



south and west side, whither the wind carries vapours from 

 the warmer regions and the sea. Coasts and islands appear 

 to receive a greater quantity of rain than the large plains on 

 the interior of the Continent, eateries paribus ; the quantity 

 appears greater indeed in the south of Europe, particularly 

 on the south side of the Alps, and the same side of northern 

 part of the Apennines. But the vicinity of the torrid Africa, 

 in conjunction with the great elevation of the Spanish table- 

 land, are the causes of the scanty annual supply of rain in the 

 southernmost part of Europe. In the distribution of the 

 rain, however, a great difference exists between the north 

 and the south of Europe ; in the former the quantity is tole- 

 rably equally distributed throughout the four seasons ; yet the 

 greatest quantity falls in summer and autumn. In the south 

 of Europe, on the contrary, the summer rain is very scanty, 

 the autumn and winter the proper rainy seasons; and the 

 farther we advance to the southward, the more the summer 

 rain decreases, and the winter rain increases. Also the number 

 of rainy days is greater in the north than in the south, 

 where the fall of rain is more rare, but the more violent. 

 Snow, being so conspicuous in the north, (particularly to- 

 wards east) of Europe, is a rare occurrence in the lower 

 regions of the south of Europe; hail-stones, on the other 

 hand, are much more common in the south, and there much 

 more dreaded by the husbandman. 



Lightning and thunder seldom appearing in the north, 

 except in summer, are common phenomena in the south 

 throughout every season, but particularly in autumn. Of an 

 hundred thunder storms occur 



Winter. Spring. Summer. Autumn. 



In Copenhagen, 1 18 70 11 



In Palermo, 15 15 22 48 



The sky is much clearer in the south of Europe than in 

 the north. 



