arctic region. Altogether, no less than 150 active
volcanoes exist in the chain of islands which stretch from Behring's
Straits down to the Antarctic circle; and if we include the volcanoes
on Indian and Pacific Islands which appear to be situated on lines
branching from this particular band, we shall not be wrong in the
assertion that this great system of volcanic mountains includes at least
one half of the habitually active vents of the globe. In addition to
the active vents, there are here several hundred very perfect volcanic
cones, many of which appear to have recently become extinct, though some
of them may be merely dormant, biding their time.

A third series of volcanoes starts from the neighborhood of Behring's
Straits, and stretches along the whole western coast of the American
continent. This is much less continuous, but nevertheless very
important, and contains, with its branches, nearly a hundred active
volcanoes. On the north this great band is almost united with the one
we have already described by the chain of the Aleutian and Alaska
volcanoes. In British Columbia about the parallel of 60 degrees N. there
exist a number of volcanic mountains, one of which, Mount St. Elias, is
believed to be 18,000 feet in height. Farther south, in the territory of
the United States, a number of grand volcanic mountains exist, some of
which are probably still active, for geysers and other manifestations of
volcanic activity abound. From the southern extremity of the peninsula
of California an almost continuous chain of volcanoes stretches through
Mexico and Guatemala, and from this part of the volcanic band a branch
is given off which passes through the West Indies, and contains the
volcanoes which have so recently given evidence of their vital activity.

In South America the line is continued by the active volcanoes of
Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile, but at many intermediate points in the chain
of the Andes extinct volcanoes occur, which to a great extent fill up
the gaps in the series. A small offshoot to the westward passes through
the Galapagos Islands. The great band of volcanoes which stretches
through the American continent is second only in importance, and in the
activity of its vents, to the band which divides the Pacific from the
Indian Ocean.

The third volcanic band of the globe is that, already spoken of,
which traverses the Atlantic Ocean from north to south. This series of
volcanic mountains is much more brok