22

domesticated animals, such as the horse, ox, sheep, and hog, are possessed by the civilized inhabitants; these were originally introduced from Europe.

5. Cotton is the chief production of the lowlands near the Gulf of Mexico, and corn of the central, and wheat of the northern portions of the Mississippi Valley.

The rain-fall upon the slopes of the lofty mountains bordering the Western Highland leaves but little moisture to be carried over to the table-lands; these, including those parts of the plateau of Mexico that are not visited by the tropical rain-belt, are therefore extremely dry. Though scattered trees border many of the streams, and some of the higher mountains are covered with

forests, by far the larger part of this vast region is nearly desti

tute of vegetation-the sage-bush and cactus are the principal plants which the parched soil produces.

Questions (I.)—1. What parts of North America have a tropical climate?— 2. What parts have a cold climate? What exception to this?-3. What is the climate of the rest of the continent?-4. What wild animals are found in the Arctic Plain ? What other wild animals are found? What is said of the buffalo? Of domesticated animals?—5. Where is cotton the chief production? Corn? Wheat?

(II.)—1. What is said of the tropical rains? Of the vegetation? What staples are cultivated? What fruits? What grains? Name some of the forest trees.-2. How do the polar currents affect the northeastern coasts of the continent? What is the climate of the western coast north of Columbia River? Why?-3. What are the chief sources of the rains of the southeastern portions of the continent? Describe these regions. What is said of the vegetation of the Arctic Plain? What is the cause

of the rainy season in the region between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains? What is its effect? What is said of the forests of the moist regions?-5. Why is the Western Highland so dry? How does this affect the vegetation?

XXXI.

QUESTIONS ON THE MAP.

[Capital cities are printed in Gothic type, as WASHINGTON.] Countries. What two countries occupy the greater part of North America? Which is farther north? What country northeast of Dominion of Canada? Northwest? Island east? What country southwest of the United States? Southeast of Mexico? Name the countries of North America.

Danish America. To what country in Europe does it belong? (Denmark.) Name its two principal islands. What is the capital of Iceland? Which is the most northern town in North America?

Canada. What country and island east of it? What general name is given to Canada, Labrador, and Newfoundland? (British America.) To what country of Europe do they belong? (Great Britain.) What mountains in the western part of Canada? What island? What peninsulas project from Canada? What capes? What city is the capital? Name other cities of Canada. Name the capital of Newfoundland.

United States. What country north of the United States? Southwest? What gulf south? What islands southeast of Florida? Name the capes on the east coast of the United States. What cape at the southeastern point of the United States? What capes on the west coast?

What mountains west of the Sierra Nevada? What two bays on the east coast of the United States? What river flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Sandy Hook? What river between Mexico and the United States? Into what does it flow? What mountains does the Columbia break through? What lake between the Colorado and the Columbia?

What two cities near the head of Chesapeake Bay? What is Washington? (The capital of the United States.) What city northeast of Baltimore? Northeast of Philadelphia? Northeast of New York? At the mouth of the Mississippi? Near the mouth of the Missouri? On Lake Michigan? On the Pacific coast? On the north bank of the Ohio?

To what country does Alaska belong? What is the name of its chief river? Into what does it flow? What islands in the southern part? What town on Baranoff Island? What town on Kodiak Island?

Mexico. What peninsula and gulf in the northwest of Mexico? What cape at the end of the peninsula? What bay west of Yucatan? What mountains in Northern Mexico? What is the capital? What volcano near it? What city east of Mexico?

Central America.-What waters wash the shores of Central America? What lake in Central America? What city in the northwest? Name the four principal islands in the West Indies. What city in Cuba?

AMERICA.

XXXII.

REVIEW EXERCISES.

Islands.-Arctic Archipelago? Southampton, B.? Greenland, D.? Iceland, D.? Newfoundland, B.? Bermuda Islands, B.? West Indies? Bahama Islands, B.? Jamaica, B.? Cuba, S.? Hayti, I.? Porto Rico, S.? Vancouver, B.? Queen Charlotte, B.? Baranoff, U. S.?

NOTE. The countries to which they belong are thus indicated: Denmark, D.; Great Britain, B.; Spain, S.; United States, U. S.; Independent, I. Peninsulas.-Labrador? Nova Scotia? Florida? Yucatan? Alaska?

California?

Capes.-Farewell? Race? Sable, N.? Cod? Sandy Hook? Hatteras? Sable, S.? St. Lucas? Prince of Wales? Mendocino? Flattery? Isthmuses.-What countries does it connect?

Tehuantepec? Panama? Isthmus of Central America? Mountains. Appalachian? Rocky? Sierra Madre? Sierra Nevada? Cascade? Coast ranges? Popocatepetl (v.)? Hecla (v.)?

Seas, Gulfs, and Bays.-Baffin? Hudson? James? St. Lawrence? Delaware? Chesapeake? Mexico? Campeachy? Honduras? Behring? Caribbean? California?

Straits.-Davis? Hudson? Belle Isle? Florida? Behring? Rivers.-Yukon? Mackenzie? Churchill? Nelson? Severn? St. Lawrence? Hudson? Mississippi? Missouri? Arkansas? Ohio? Rio Grande? Red? Colorado? Columbia?

Lakes. Where situated? What outlet has it?

Great Bear? Great Slave? Athabasca? Winnipeg? Superior? Michigan? Huron? Erie? Ontario? Great Salt? Nicaragua? Cities and Towns.-In what country is it? In what part of it? On or near what water?

Reykjavik? Upernavik? Halifax? Ottawa? Montreal? Quebec? St. Johns? Washington? Philadelphia? Boston? New York? Baitimore? New Orleans? Cincinnati? St. Louis? Chicago? San Francisco? Mexico? Vera Cruz? Guatemala? Havana ?

26

4. Three large and rapid rivers drain the greater part of this Plateau Belt: the Columbia River on the north breaks through the lofty Cascade range, and flows into the Pacific; the Colorado on the south reaches the Gulf of California after passing through a number of great cañons, which are a series of the most frightful mountain gorges in the world; the Rio Grande flows from the mountains bordering the Colorado Plateau through a long, narrow, and elevated valley to the Gulf of Mexico.

The beds of nearly all the rivers of the entire highland region are far below the general level of the country through which they flow.

5. The Western Highland has a warm and very dry climate.

The warm southwest winds from the Pacific discharge most of their moisture as rain or snow on the high cold slopes and summits of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges, and much of the remaining portion upon the lofty sides and tops of the Rocky Mountains. The plateaus are consequently dry and barren, while the coast regions have abundant rain and, particularly towards the north, are covered with dense forests. In like manner, the winds from the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico lose their moisture before they penetrate so far inland, and in consequence a large part of the Great Plains at the foot of the Rocky Mountains is one of the most desolate and arid regions of the continent. The cactus and the sage-bush are the characteristic vegetation; they indicate a very dry climate. Wherever the streams from the melting snows of the mountains can be used for irrigation abundant crops can be raised, but the greater part of the entire highland is hopelessly barren.

6. The chief wealth of the Western Highland is in the exhaustless mines of gold, silver, and other valuable minerals with which the entire mountain district abounds.

Nowhere else on the globe is there known to be so extensive a deposit of the precious metals. There are hundreds of thousands of square miles rich with ores of gold and silver.

7. The bison, or American buffalo, a large and ox-like animal, once roamed in vast herds over the Great Plains and in the mountain valleys. They have been eagerly hunted for their skins or for sport, and are now nearly, if not quite, exterminated.

For unknown ages these animals had furnished the Indians with food, and with materials for tents and clothing.

8. Between the Western Highland and the Pacific lies the small rich lowland of the California Basin.

Questions (I.)-1. What is the character of the western half of the United States ? By what and how is it divided?-2. What and where are the Great Plains?-3. What is the western half of the highland called? What mountains border it? What high mountains parallel and near the Coast ranges? Where is the Great Basin? Where is the Colorado Plateau? Where is the plain of the Columbia ?-4. How many great rivers drain the Plateau Belt?-What is said of the Columbia? Of the Colorado? What are the cañons? Which is the third great river? What is said of most of the river beds?-5. What is the general character of the climate of the Western Highland?-6. In what is the chief wealth of the highland?-7. What is said of the buffalo 8. What and where is the California Basin?

(II.)—2. What is said of a large part of the Great Plains? Where are the plains highest? How high are they? Which of their rivers are navigable? Which are not? Why?-3. Which are the highest mountains in North America? How high are they? How many principal plateaus? With what is the whole tract ribbed? To what has it been likened? What does the Great Basin enclose? By what separated from the Colorado Plateau? How high is it? How high is the Colorado Plateau ? How high is the plain of the Columbia?-5. What kind of a climate has the Plateau Belt of the Western Highland? Why? The Great Plains? Why? The Coast regions? Why? What plants are characteristic? What do such plants indicate? What is said of irrigation? What is the source of the water that may be used for this purpose? What portion of the region is barren 6. What is said of the quantity of gold and silver?-7. What is further said of the buffalo?

XXXVI.

EASTERN HALF OF THE UNITED STATES.

1. The eastern half of the United States presents a strong contrast to the western half. It is fertile and well watered throughout.

It contains the Eastern Highland and two important lowland plains.

2. The Eastern Highland is small and low in comparison with the Western.

It consists of the several parallel ranges of the Appalachian system, and extends from the Dominion of Canada almost to the Gulf of Mexico. Its highest peaks are about as high as the plains at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. It contains many fertile elevated valleys, but no extensive plateaus.

This highland is rich in water-power, in timber, and in mines of coal and iron. At its nearest approach to the Atlantic coast it is intersected by a remarkable depression, which contains the valleys of the Hudson and the Mohawk, and forms the most important natural highway of commerce on the whole continent.

3. The Eastern Highland divides the lowlands into two unequal plains-the Atlantic Plain on the east, and the Great Central or Mississippi Plain on the west.

4. The Great Central Plain lies between the two highlands.

It extends from the Gulf of Mexico, where it joins the Atlantic Plain, to the Great Lakes, where it unites with a narrow belt of lowland in the St. Lawrence Valley.

The Valley of the Mississippi includes not only most of the Great Central Plain, but all of the land between the crests of the Rocky Mountains on one side and those of the Alleghanies on the other. It therefore embraces a large part of both highlands. It has been likened to a broad trough, the Mississippi lying in the lowest part. 5. The Mississippi and its branches together constitute the most extensive system of navigated rivers in the world.

The Amazon system, in South America, is larger, but is as yet but little navigated.

The Missouri is by far the most important of the tributaries, being longer than the entire course of the Missis sippi itself, and, like it, navigable almost to its source.