tools used in measuring and weighing, as an aid to vision, 12.
Sea,
battering action of the, 140;
coast ever changing, 385, 386;
effect of volcanic eruptions on the, 299;
floor deposits of the, affected by volcanoes, 360, 361;
in receipt of organic and mineral matter, 359;
hot and cold currents of the, 102;
littoral zone of the, 351, 352;
puss, 142;
rich in organic life, 352, 353;
solvent action of the, 361;
strata, formation of, 354;
water, minerals in, 185;
weeds, 155, 156.
Seas, dead,
originally living lakes, 200;
water of, buoyant, 199;
eventually the seat of salt deposits, 199-201;
general statement as to division of, 83, 84;
shape of the, 83, 84.
Seashore, air of the, 98.
Seasons, changing the character of the, 61, 62.
Sense of hearing, 9, 10;
of sight, 10;
of smell, 9, 10;
of taste, 9, 10;
of touch, 9, 10.
Seracs, 214.
Shocks, earthquake. See under Earthquakes.
Shore lines, variation of, 83, 84.
Shores, cliff, 138-142.
Sink holes, 202;
in limestone districts, 253, 254.
Skaptar,
eruption of, 297, 298;
lava from the eruption of, 298.
Sky, mackerel, 35.
Snow, 207-225, 244;
as an evidence of atmosphere, 65;
blankets, early flowers beginning to blossom under, 208;
covering, difference between an annual and perennial, 210;
effect of, on plants, 208;
electrical action in the formation of rain and, 164;
flakes, formation of, 164;
red, 210;
slides, 210;
slides, phenomena of, 210, 211.
Soil,
alluvial, 321, 322;
atmospheric circulation of, 330, 331;
conditions leading to formation of, 313, 331;
continuous motion of the, 314;
covering of the earth, 343;
decay of the, 314, 315;
degradation of the, 344-348;
means for correcting, 346-348;
destruction in grain fields greater than the accumulation, 344;
developing on lava and ashes an interesting study, 343;
development of, in desert regions, 340;
effect of animals and plants on the, 317-320;
effect of earthquakes on the, 375;
fertility of the, distinguished from the coating, 344, 345;
fertility of, affected by rain, 327;
formation of, 314-321;
glacial, characteristics of, 324;
glaciated, 323, 324;
irrigation of the, 328-330;
local variation of, 327;
mineral, 321;
of arid regions fertile when subjected to irrigation, 341;
of dust or blown sand, 321;
of immediate derivation, 321, 322;
phenomena, 313;
processes of organic life in the, 315;
variation in, 321-331;
vegetation protecting the, 316, 317;
washing away of the, 346, 347;
winning, from the sea, 337;
work of ants on the, 318;
tiller, duty of the, 348.
Solar bodies,
general conditions of the, 63-71;
forces, action of, on the earth, 349;
system, 52, 56;
independent from the fixed stars system, 43;
original vapour of, 52, 53;
singular features of our, 68;
tide, 127.
Spheres,
difference in magnitude of, 51;
motions of the, 50, 51;
planetary, rotation of, on their axes, 56.
Spots, sun, 72.
Spouting horn, 141.
Springs, formation of small, 252.
Stalactitization, 256.
Stalagmites and stalactites on the roof and floor of a cavern, 257.
Stars as dark bodies in the heavens, 47;
discovery of Fraunhofer and others on, 23, 38;
double, 39;
and tidal action, 131;
earliest study of, 10;
fixed, important observations by the ancients of planets and, 43;
not isolated suns, 38, 39;
variation in the light of, 46;
limit of, seen by the naked eye, 11;
revolution of one star about another, 46, 47;
shooting, 47;
speed of certain, 51;
study of, 31-80;
sudden flashing forth of, due to catastrophe, 46;
voyage through the, 44, 45;
star, wandering, 74.
Stellar realm, 31-80.
Storms,
circular, 111;
desert, 121, 122;
expansion of air contained in a hollow wall during the passage of, 114;
great principle of, 105, 106;
in the Sahara, 121;
lightning, more frequent in summer, 167;
paths of, 115;
secondary, of cyclones, 112;
spinning, 115;
thunder, 165-167;
whirling, 106, 124;
whirling peculiarity of, 108, 109.
Strabo, writings of, 18.
Sun,
atmosphere of the, 73;
constitution of the, 72;
distance of the earth from the, 29;
effect from changes in the, and earth, 59;
envelope of the, 73, 74, 97;
experiments illustrating consolidation of disseminated materials of planets and, 40;
finally, dark and cold, 42;
formation of the eight planets of the, 53;
heat leaving the, 41;
heat of the, 76;
imaginary journey from the, into space, 44;
mass of the, 76, 77;
path of the earth around the, 55;
physical condition of the, 71;
Prof. Newcomb's belief regarding the heat of the, 52;
spots, 75;
abundant at certain intervals, 72;
difficulty in revealing cause of, 75;
structure of the, a problem before the use of the telescope, 72;
table of relative masses of, and planets, 77;
three stages in the history of the, 71;
tides, 126;
why does it not act in the same manner as the moon? 78.
Surfaces, level, 90.
Surf belt, swayings of the, 137.
Swamps,
diagram showing remains of, 335;
Dismal Swamp, 95, 333;
drainage of, 334, 335;
fresh-water, 334, 335;
phenomena of, 167, 168.
Table-lands, 91.
Table of relative masses of sun and planets, 77.
Telescopes, 11, 12, 45;
first results of, 72;
power of, 11;
revelations of, 45.
Temperature,
effects of, produced by vibration, 42;
in the doldrum belt, 118;
of North America, 118;
of the Atlantic Ocean, 118.
Tempests, rate of, 99, 100.
Thunder, 166;
more pronounced in the mountains, 166.
Thunderstorms, 165, 166;
distribution of, 166, 167.
Tidal action,
recent studies of, 131, 132;
marshes of North America, 340.
Tides,
carving channels, 129;
effecting the earth's rotation, 130;
effect of, on marine life, 130;
height of, 128, 129;
moon and sun, 126, 127;
normal run of the, 127;
production of, 131;
of the trade winds, 150;
solar, 127;
travelling of, 127, 128.
Tillage introducing air into the pores of the soil, 331.
Tornadoes, 112, 113, 317;
development of, 113;
effect of, on buildings, 113;
fiercest in North America, 113;
length of, 115;
resemblance of, to hurricanes, 115;
upsucking action of, 114, 115.
Torrents, 177-179, 204.
Trade winds. See under Winds.
Training in language,
diminishing visual memory, 401;
soldiers to measure distances, 28;
to measure intervals of time, 28;
for a naturalist, 25-29.
Tunnels, natural, 257.
Uranus, 70.
Valley of Val del Bove formed from disturbances of Mount Ætna, 294.
Valleys,
diversity in the form of river, 188-191;
river, 193.
Vapour, 156, 157, 159, 163;
gravitative attraction of, 34, 35;
nebular theory of, 52, 53;
original, of the solar system, 52, 53.
Vegetation,
and dew, 160;
in a measure, independent of rain, 160;
protecting the soil, 316, 317.
Vein, diagram of a, 260.
Venus, 64, 78;
recent observations of, by Mr. Percival Lowell, 64.
Vesuvian system, study of the, 285.
Vesuvius. See Mount Vesuvius.
Visualizing memories, 402, 403.
Volcanic action, 268-276.
Volcanic eruption of a.d. 79, 288;
important facts concerning, 276-279;
islands, 272;
lava a primary feature in, 266;
observations of, made from a balloon, 301;
peaks along the floor of the sea, 272, 273;
possibility of throwing matter beyond control of gravitative energy, 300.
Volcanoes, 125, 203, 263;
abounding on the sea floor, 302;
accidents from eruptions of, 288;
along the Pacific coast, 271;
ash showers of, maintaining fertility of the soil, 289;
distribution of, 271;
eruption of, 286-294, 368;
explosions from, coming from a supposed liquid interior of the earth, 275;
exporting earth material, 310;
little water, 375;
Italian, considered collectively, 296, 297;
Neapolitan eruptions of and the history of civilization, 288;
subsidence of the earth after eruption of, 287, 291;
origin of, 263-274;
phenomena of, 263-267;
submarine, 301;
travelling of ejections from, 287, 288.
Waters,
crevice, 250;
of the earth, 250, 251;
cutting action of, 117, 192;
drift, from the poles, 151;
journey of, from the Arctic Circle to the tropics, 151, 152;
dynamic value of, 171;
expansion of, in rocks, 270;
geological work of, 168-206;
in air, 99;
of the clouds usually frozen, 207;
pure, no power for cutting rocks, 204;
rock, 250, 263;
sea, minerals in, 185;
store of the earth, 125;
system of, 125, 156;
tropical, 151;
velocity of the, under the equator, 150;
wearing away rocks, 178, 179;
underground, carrying mineral matter to the sea, 193;
chemical changes of, leading to changes in rock material, 262, 263;
effect of carbonic-acid gas on, 251;
operations of the, 126;
wearing away rocks, 178, 179;
work of, 250.
Waterfalls, 189-193;
cause of, 191;
the Yosemite, 192;
Niagara, 191, 192;
numerous in the torrent district of rivers, 192;
produced by dikes, 192;
valuable to manufactures, 192, 193.
Waterspouts, 115, 116;
atmospheric cause of, 116;
firing at, 116;
life of a, 116;
picturesqueness of, 116;
the water of fresh, 117.
Waves, 128, 129, 132, 145;
action of friction on, 135, 136;
break of the, 136;
endurance of sand against the, 145;
force of, 133, 136, 139;
marine, caused by earthquakes, 387;
of earthquakes, 389;
peculiar features in the action of, 137;
size of, 137, 138;
stroke of the, 144;
surf, 135;
tidal height of, 132;
undulations of, 132;
wind, 132;
wind influence of, on the sea, 134, 135;
wind-made, 128.
Ways and means of studying Nature, 9.
Weeds of the sea, 155.
Well, artesian, 258, 259.
Whirling of fluids and gas, 36, 37.
Whirlwinds in Sahara, 121.
Will-o'-the-wisp, 167.
Winds, 101, 110, 122, 317;
effect of sand, 122;
hurricane, 110;
illustration of how they are produced, 101;
in Martha's Vineyard, 120;
of the forests, work of the, 317;
of tornadoes, effect of, 113;
on the island of Jamaica, 119, 120;
regimen of the, 119;
variable falling away in the nighttime, 100;
trade, 102-105; 145, 146, 150;
action of, on ocean currents, 145:
affected by motion of the earth, 103;
belt, motion of the ocean in, 146;
flow and counter-flow of the, 150;
tide of the, 150;
uniform condition of the, 102;
waves, work of, 132, 134, 135.
Witchcraft, belief of, in the early ages, 21.
Zoölogy, rapid advance in, 14, 15.