. Island life : or, the phenomena and causes of insular faunas and floras, including a revision and attempted solution of the problem of geological climates . .They are situated in 32° N. Lat.^ about 700 miles fromNorth Carolina, and somewhat farther from the BahamaIslands, and are thus rather more favourably placed forreceiving immigrants from America and its islands than theAzores are with respect to Europe. There are about 100islands and islets in all, but their total area does not ex-ceed fifty square miles. They are surrounded by reefs,some at a distance of thirty miles from the main grou
. Island life : or, the phenomena and causes of insular faunas and floras, including a revision and attempted solution of the problem of geological climates . .They are situated in 32° N. Lat.^ about 700 miles fromNorth Carolina, and somewhat farther from the BahamaIslands, and are thus rather more favourably placed forreceiving immigrants from America and its islands than theAzores are with respect to Europe. There are about 100islands and islets in all, but their total area does not ex-ceed fifty square miles. They are surrounded by reefs,some at a distance of thirty miles from the main group;and the discovery of a layer of earth with remains ofcedar-trees forty-eight feet below the present high-watermark shows that the islands have once been more extensiveand probably included the whole area now occupied byshoals and reefs.^ Immediately beyond these reefs, how- ^ Nature, Vol. VI. p. 262, ** Recent Observations in the Bermudas, byMr. J. Matthew Jones, CHAP. XII BERMUDA 263 ever, extends a very deep ocean, while about 450 milesdistant in a south-east direction, the deepest part of theNorth Atlantic is reached, where soundings of 3,825 and. MAP OF BERMUDA AND THE AMERICAN COAST. Note.—The light tint indicates sea less than 1,000 fathoms deepThe dark tint ,, ,, more than 1,000 fathoms figures show the depth in fathoms. 3,875 fathoms have been obtained. It is clear thereforethat these islands are typically oceanic. Soundings were taken by the Clicdlenger in four differ- 264 ISLAND LIFE PART II ent directions around Bermuda, and always showed a rapiddeepening of the sea to about 2,500 fathoms. This wasso remarkable, that in his reports to the Admiralty, CaptainNares spoke of Bermuda as a solitary peak rising abruptlyfrom a base only 120 miles in diameter; and in anotherplace as an isolated peak rising abruptly from a verysmall base. These expressions show that Bermuda islooked upon as a typical example of an oceanic peak ;and on examining the series of offi
Size: 1529px × 1633px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorwallacealfredrussel18, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910
