In these regions, where the sun is always low, and in winter is above
the horizon but a small part of the time, all nature becomes
increasingly monotonous. The conifers, with their stiff forms and sombre
hues, impart a dreary aspect even to the summer landscape; and, during
the long winter, all life seems suspended.
The animal world, however, is more rich and varied than the vegetable.
Here we meet the great moose and the brown bear, the beaver and other
rodents, in large numbers; the sable, the mink, the ermine, and a host
of other animals whose fine, soft furs form one of the main resources of
this inhospitable clime.
In the Arctic Zone--where the forests give place to dwarf trees, stunted
or creeping shrubs, mosses, and lichens--the reindeer, the musk-ox, and
the white bear are the only representatives of the larger land animals,
though the smaller furry tribes are still numerous.
The sea, however, more genial in its temperature than the land, swarms
with living creatures of innumerable species, among which are the
largest representatives of the animal kingdom. The whale, the walrus,
and the seal, inhabit the Arctic seas; with every grade of marine life,
down to the animalculæ, which are so numerous as to give their color to
great areas of sea-water; and water-fowl, without number, and of many
varieties, enlivens the icy shores.