The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

844 RUSSIA IX EUROPE.the peat beds, and springs occur here and there which never freeze even in winter.Wherever the land is not too moist, and well exposed to the sun, southern plantssprint* up and blossom, and the southern slopes of the Zimniyu Gori, or " WinterMountains," a low range from 2G0 to 330 feet high, skirting the east side of theWhite Sea, are covered with blue aconites and scarlet poppies, "nature's lastsmile." The roots of trees occurring in various parts of the tundra show that forestvegetation formerly extended much farther north : large pine stems are found inplaces -where even the dwarf willow has now ceased to grow.The Ural Mountains.The Ural range, partly lying between Archangel and Siberia, forms geologicallya continuous system, consisting throughout of the same crystalline rocks,covered on either side with the same regularly disposed strata, and contrastingwith the monotonous Russian and Siberian plains. But the " Girdle of the Globe"(Zemno'i Poyas), as this range was formerly called by the Russians, possesses nosuch geographical unity, being divided into several sections broken by deep gaps,and even by arms of the sea, though still retaining its character as a true waterparting.The Southern Urals, which most abound in mineral wealth, are separatedfrom the northern portions by profound depressions, where the range seems almostto disappear altogether. The northern section again, subdivided into the Vogul,Ostyak, and Samoyed Urals, is separated by low passes from the Kara, or Pae-Khoi Mountains, which branch off in the north-west at right angles from the mainrange. "Waigach Island is also a fragment of the Urals, which are furthercontinued north-westwards by the Novaya Zemlya group, thus forming a totallength of over 1,800 miles, without reckoning the windings of the main ridge.The Northern Urals begin about the sixty-third parallel, north of the pointwhere rise the Petchora and some of the main head-streams of the Ob. Betweenthe source of the Petchora and the northern mountains there is no chain properlyso called, but only unequal non-parallel masses, giving to the line of water-partingan extremely irregular form. Amongst these lateral spurs is the famous Bolvano-Is, or " Idol Mount," one of whose crests consists of several strangely shaped rocksresembling gigantic statues. The highest of these, with an elevation of over 100feet, was formerly a highly venerated deity, and may possibly still have its votaries.The range, beginning with the Tell-Pos-Is, or Nepubi-Nior (5,541 feet), soonturns north-east, but throws off numerous western spurs, wooded at their base, butwhose granite crests are destitute of all vegetation except mosses and lichens.Their ravines, facing northwards, are filled with perpetual snows, from a distancepresenting the appearance of glaciers, though the highest summits are at timesentirely free of snow. But although lying partly within the arctic circle, theUrals have no true glaciers, the development of which is prevented by the lack ofsufficient moisture, and by their low mean elevation, which scarcely exceeds3,000 feet. No traces even of ancient glaciers were detected until Polakovrecently ascertained the existence of numerous moraines, and of strias evidently