Page:EB1911 - Volume 28.djvu/646

 conspicuously white, and shows itself again on the flanks. The wings are further ornamented by a glossy green speculum between two black bars; the tail is pointed and dark; the rest of the lower parts is white. The female has the inconspicuous coloration characteristic of her sex among most of the duck tribe. In habits the wigeon differs not a little from most of the Anatinae. It greatly affects tidal waters during the season of its southern stay, and becomes the object of slaughter to hundreds of gunners on the coasts of Britain and Holland, but, when it resorts to inland localities, as it also does to some extent, it passes much of its time in grazing, especially by day, on the pastures which surround the lakes or moors that it selects.

The wigeon occurs occasionally on the eastern coast of North America, and not uncommonly, it would seem, on the Pribyloff Islands in the Pacific. But the New World has two allied species of its own. One of them, M. americana (a freshly killed example of which was once found in a London market), inhabiting the northern part of that continent, and in winter reaching Central America and the West Indian islands as far as Trinidad, wholly resembles its Old World congener in habits and much in appearance. But in it the chestnut of the head is replaced by a close speckling of black and buff, the white wing-coverts are wanting, and nearly all of the plumage is subdued in tone. The other species, M. sibilatrix, inhabits the southern portion of South America and its islands, from Chile on the west to the Falklands on the east, and is easily recognized by its nearly white head, nape glossy with purple and green, and other differences; while the plumage hardly differs sexually at all.

 WIGGIN, KATE DOUGLAS (1857–), American novelist, daughter of Robert N. Smith, a lawyer, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 28th of September 1857. She was educated at Abbott Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, and removed in 1876 to Los Angeles, California. She taught in Santa Barbara College (1877–1878), established in San Francisco the first free kindergartens for poor children on the western coast (1878), and, with the help of her sister, Miss Nora Archibald Smith, and of Mrs Sarah B. Cooper, organized the California Kindergarten Training School (1880). She married, in 1880, Samuel Bradley Wiggin of San Francisco, who died in 1889. In 1895 she married George Christopher Riggs, but continued to write under the name of Wiggin. Her interest in children’s education was shown in numerous books, some written in collaboration with her sister, in both prose and verse. But her literary reputation rests rather on her works of prose fiction, which show a real gift for depicting character and an original vein of humour. The best known of these are: The Birds' Christmas Carol (1888); Penelope’s English Experiences (1893); Marm Lisa (1896); Penelope’s Progress (1898), being Penelope’s experiences in Scotland; Penelope’s Irish Experiences (1901); The Diary of a Goose-Girl (1902); and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1903).

 WIGGLESWORTH, MICHAEL (1631–1705), American clergyman and poet, was born in England, probably in Yorkshire, on the 18th of October 1631. His father, Edward (d. 1653), persecuted for his Puritan faith, emigrated with his family to New England in 1638 and settled in New Haven. Michael studied for a time at a school kept by Ezekiel Cheever, and in 1651 graduated at Harvard, where he was a tutor (and a Fellow) in 1652–1654. Having fitted himself for the ministry, he preached at Charlestown in 1653–1654, and was pastor at Maiden from 1656 until his death, though for twenty years or more bodily infirmities prevented his regular attendance upon his duties—Cotton Mather described him as “a little feeble shadow of a man.” During this interval he studied medicine and began a successful practice. He was again a Fellow of Harvard in 1697–1705. He died at Maiden on the 10th of June 1705. Wigglesworth is best known as the author of The Day of Doom, or a Poetical Description of the Great and Last Judgment (1662). At least two English and eight American editions have appeared, notable among them being that of 1867 (New York), edited by W. H. Burr and including other poems of Wigglesworth, a memoir and an autobiography. For a century this realistic and terrible expression of the prevailing Calvinistic theology was by far the most popular work written in America. His other poems include God’s Controversy with New England (written in 1662. “in the time of the great drought,” and first printed in the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society for 1781), and Meat out of the Eater; or Meditations concerning the Necessity, End and Usefulness of Afflictions unto God’s Children (1669; revised in 1703).

 WIGHT, ISLE OF, an island off the south coast of England, forming part of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by the Solent and Spithead. It is of diamond shape, measuring m. from E. to W. and  from N. to S. (extremes). The area is 147 sq. m. The south coast is for the most part cliff-bound and grand, and there is much quietly beautiful scenery both inland and along the northern shores. Although east winds are at times prevalent in winter and spring, and summer heals may be excessive, the climate, especially in certain favoured spots, is mild and healthy. As a result numerous watering-places have grown up on the coasts.

A range of high chalk downs crosses the island from east to west, terminating seaward in the Culver cliffs and the cliffs near Freshwater respectively. It is breached eastward by the Yar stream flowing N.E., in the centre by the Medina, the principal stream in the island, flowing N., and by another Yar, flowing N., in the extreme west. These downs reach a height over 700 ft. west of the Medina, but east of it do not greatly exceed 400 ft. The slope northward is gradual. The north-west and north-east coasts, overlooking the Solent and Spithead respectively, rise sharply, but hardly ever assume the cliff form; they are beautifully wooded, and broken by many picturesque estuaries, such as those of the western Yar and Newtown on the north-west, the Medina opening northward opposite Southampton Water, and Wootton Creek and the mouth of the eastern Yar on the north-east. The streams mentioned rise very near the south coast, the western Yar, indeed, so close to it that the high land west of the stream is nearly insulated. A second range of downs in the extreme south, between St Catherine’s Point and Dunnose, reaches the greatest elevation in the island, exceeding 800 ft. in St Catherine’s Hill. Below these heights on the seaward side occurs the remarkable tract known as the Undercliff, a kind of terrace formed by the collapse of rocks overlying soft strata (sand and clay) which have been undermined. The upper cliffs shelter this terrace from the north winds; the climate is remarkably mild, and many delicate plants flourish luxuriantly. This part of the island especially affords a winter resort for sufferers from pulmonary complaints. Along the south coast the action of small streams on the soft rocks has hollowed out steep gullies or ravines, known as chines. Many of these, though small, are of great beauty; the most famous are Shanklin and Blackgang chines. The western peninsula shows perhaps the finest development of sea-cliffs. Off the westernmost promontory rise three detached masses of chalk, about 100 ft. in height, known as the Needles, exposed to the full strength of the south-westerly gales driving up the Channel. During a storm in 1764 a fourth spire was undermined and fell.

Geology.—The geology of the island possesses many features of interest. Its form has been determined by the simple monoclonal fold which has thrown up the Chalk with a high northward dip, so that it now exists as a narrow ridge running from the Needles eastward to Culver Cliffs. Owing to a kink in the fold the ridge expands somewhat south of Carisbrooke. On the north side of the ridge the Chalk dips beneath the Tertiaries of the Hampshire Basin. Immediately north of the Chalk the Lower Eocene. Reading beds and London Clay form a narrow parallel strip, followed by a similar strip of Upper Eocene, Bracklesham and Bagshot beds. The remaining northern portion of the island is occupied by fluvio-marine Oligocene strata, including the Headon, Osborne, Bembridge and Hamstead beds. The various Tertiary formations are exhibited along the north