4 SOIL AND CLIMATE.

trophies of the victory of the heat over animated na-

ture,—where nothing is to be seen but bones of men

and animals bleached by the burning sun. During

the vi^hole of this season, which endures about eight

months, the sky is clear and cloudless, and the heat

is insupportable, especially in the months of April

and May. From eleven o'clock, a.m., to three, p.m., when the thermometer stands in the shade at 38°,

or even at 40°, Reaumur (117° to 122° Fahrenheit),

it is impossible for any breathing creature to remain

in the open air. Every living being, both men and

cattle, with equal eagerness seek the shade, to pro-

tect themselves from the scorching rays of a fierce

sun. Man sits during these hours as if in a vapour-

bath, his cheerfulness of disposition declines, and he

is almost incapable of thought ; listless, and with

absence of mind, he stares vacantly before him,

searching in vain for a cool spot. The air breathed

is hot as if it proceeded from a heated furnace, and

acts in so enervating a manner on the animal

economy, that it becomes a trouble even to move

a limb. All business ceases, everything is wrapped

in a sleep of death, until the sun gradually sinks, and the cool air recalls men and animals again into

life and activity. The nights, on the other hand,

«,re so sharp, that it is necessary to be more careful

in guarding against the effects of cold in this coun-

try, than in the northern parts of Europe during

the severest winter, for the consequences frequently

prove fatal. During the whole year, day and night