dryness of the air, the heat is not oppressive. _Contrasting Climates in N. W. America._—An even more striking contrast, showing the effects of the warm ocean and air currents, when intercepted by mountain chains, exists on the Pacific coast farther northward, as already mentioned. In Oregon and Washington first the low Coast ranges, and then the higher Cascade mountains, obstruct the eastward progress of the westerly ocean winds. The result is a very heavy rainfall to coastward of and within the Coast ranges, and an almost equally heavy precipitation on the western slope of the Cascades. Standing on the crest of the latter in summer, one may see to westward a rolling sea of clouds, causing almost daily rains; while to eastward the eye ranges over brown or whitish, dusty plains or rolling lands, almost destitute of tree growth and quivering with heat, under a deep blue sky untroubled by clouds for months. A somewhat similar contrast is seen in the Hawaiian islands, which are in the sweep of the subtropical northeast trade winds, and on their windward (eastern) slopes have abundant rains; while on the leeward slopes an almost arid climate prevails, calling for extended irrigation. _Continental, Coast and Insular Climates._—From what has been said above, the striking differences of climate caused by the position of any region with reference to the sea or other large bodies of water on the one hand, and to mountain chains on the other, can be readily understood; provided of course that the direction of the winds and the trend of the mountain chains be properly taken into consideration. Western coasts in the temperate and subtropical regions will have a relatively even, temperate and moist climate as compared with the interior of continents, from which the tempering influence of the sea is cut off by mountain chains. Where no such chains intervene the coast climate may extend far inland. The latter case is that of Europe, where the prevailing westerly winds, warmed by the Gulf Stream, temper the climate as far east as the borders of Russia, and northward to Norway; while to southward the warm waters of the Mediterranean and Black seas temper both heat and cold in Spain, southern France, Italy and the Mediterranean border generally. But to eastward, in Russia and Siberia, the climate becomes “continental” to an extreme degree, with very cold winters and very hot summers. The same is true of interior North America, wherever the continental divide cuts off the tempering influence of the westerly winds; Montana, the Dakotas and the Great Plains states generally being examples. The climate of the Mississippi valley, as stated before, is tempered by the winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico, but with occasional irruptions of the continental climate (sometimes reaching as far east as the South Atlantic coast) in the forms of cold “blizzards,” from which the coast climates of the Pacific and of western Europe are practically free. The Atlantic