EFFECTS OF HUMAN OPERATIONS. 
289 
extensive, are on the one hand winter, when cold 
and storms cause a great variety of waders and 
and water-fowl to seek our shores, and on the other, 
summer, when the sun approaches us for a short 
space of time, and when humidity is in a great 
measure obviated by sea winds being of less fre¬ 
quency. At all other seasons but summer, our 
climate is rendered colder than it would otherwise 
be by the great abundance of our wood, which 
forming considerable shelter keeps off the benign 
influence of the sun’s rays. Perhaps also when 
our summers are not very hot, the earth does not 
imbibe so much caloric as to allow of its giving 
off any subsequently to temper the severity of the 
winter’s cold. This is in some measure borne out 
by our experience of the year 1836. On the other 
hand, a compact soil such as ours is, generally 
has the quality of imbibing the fervour of the 
summer’s sun without restoring it to the air so 
readily as do loose sandy soils, so that a scorching 
atmosphere is to a great extent prevented. On 
the w f hole, our summers may be stated as being 
generally moderately hot, thereby preserving the 
character of uniformity to our climate, other cir¬ 
cumstances above named having only minor degrees 
of pow r er. Other alterations in the surface of a 
country besides planting and culture affect the 
number, condition, and situation of animals,—many 
are exterminated by man’s interference, some are 
thereby excited to unusual multiplication, many 
are restricted in their numbers, or in their range, 
or in both, and some are encouraged to disperse 
locally or generally. The alterations here referred 
to comprise tillage, draining, irrigation, fencing, 
building, &c. As regards Devonshire, we find the 
number of quadrupeds diminished by the advances 
of agriculture and civilization. Many kinds of birds 
also have been thereby lost to us, though possibly 
