? It is separated
from Asia by a narrow strip of water called Behring Strait. How did
North America used to be connected with South America? Why is the
separation called a canal and not an isthmus?

3

[Illustration: BARNEGAT LIGHTHOUSE.]

Three great oceans wash the shores of North America. Name them. The
coast line is very irregular. Notice on the map that at places part of
the ocean extends far into the land, forming _gulfs_ and _bays_. Hudson
Bay, Gulf of Mexico and Gulf of St. Lawrence are all parts of which
ocean? The waves are not so high in the bays and gulfs as in the open
ocean. The land keeps off some of the wind. Vessels that are waiting to
be laden with cargo lie in these sheltered gulfs and bays. Why?

At many places along the shore the land juts out into the ocean in
_capes_. Many of these points of land have special names. Look on the
map for them. There are light houses built on most of these capes to
warn the ships in the dark and in the storms to keep away from the
dangerous rocks and shore. A cape is often a pleasant place for a summer
home. There is so much water around it that the sea breezes sweep across
it and make it delightfully cool.

4

Do you remember how we spoke of the river with its many boats and
steamers? There are hundreds of rivers in North America flowing for
miles until at last they reach the ocean.

5

There are many high hills, some so very high as to be called
_mountains_. There is a chain of these mountains called the Eastern
Highlands along the eastern part of North America. They extend for many
miles north and south. The scenery in this region is very beautiful. The
mountains are covered mostly with forests of pine, spruce, oak, maple,
chestnut and other trees. These are cut down for lumber. In the wilder
parts of these forests live squirrels, rabbits, bears and snakes. At
places the trees have been cut down to make room for fields of grain.

[Illustration: SURFACE MAP OF NORTH AMERICA.]

The mountains are full of useful minerals. Great quantities of coal and
iron are mined in the Eastern Highlands.

6

The highest mountains in North America are the Western Highlands in the
western part. One great chain or range extends the entire length of
North America from the Arctic Ocean down into South America. Great
forests grow on these mountains. In many places are huge masses of rock
on which nothing grows, so this range has been called the Rocky
Mountains. I