it is found sometimes, contrary to
its general law, at the bottom of rivers and ponds, its geological
movements in the transportation of boulders, and as an article of
luxury;--but we are compelled to leave them for the present.

Snow, which, in its crystallization, surpasses the most perfect gems,
is invariably found arranged in determinate angles, to wit, 60 deg., and
its double, 120 deg., and formed of six-sided prisms. More than one
hundred kinds have been described by Dr. Scoresby and others, and all
these are combinations of the six-sided prism. The uses of snow, from
its non-conducting qualities, whether as appreciated by the Esquimaux
as a material for huts, or by the agriculturists of our own climate as
sheltering the seed, are too well known to require any particular
remarks. Strange as it may appear, the proximate cause of the
formation of snow is not yet fully agreed upon by the learned.

The connection between Sound and the atmosphere is an important one.
The air is a conductor of sound, and in some conditions one of the
best. A bell rung in an exhausted receiver gives no sound. In the
Arctic regions ordinary conversations have been distinctly heard for
the distance of a mile and a half.

All that we have thus far said in this article bears directly, in some
form or other, on another of the great features of Meteorology, one of
its great objects, and an unceasing topic,--namely, Climate.

The term Climate, in its general sense, indicates the changes and
condition of the atmosphere, such as we have been considering. It has
something to do with all of them; it is not entirely controlled by
any. Thus, places having the same mean annual temperature often differ
materially in climate. In some (we quote Mrs. Somerville) the winters
are mild and the summers cool, whereas in others the extremes of heat
and cold prevail.

Climates are not found coincident with lines of latitude; they are
quite as often found parallel to lines of longitude. If you connect
the extreme points of the mean annual temperatures by a line passing
round the earth, you have a zone, but never a true circle. The curves
are longitudinal.

Climate is dependent on temperature, winds, the elevation of land,
soil, ranges of mountains, and proximity of bodies of water; and it is
also the expression, if we may so term it, of the changes in the
atmosphere sensibly affecting our organs. Humboldt refers it to
humidity, temperature, changes in bar