Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 18.djvu/332

* SNOW. 280 SNOW-DKOP. The great accumulations of snow by sliding downward in ravines until they join together in the river valleys and form glaciers (q.v. ), con- stitute an important factor in the study of phys- ical geography. A heavy snowfall is not mere- ly a question of low temperature, but of inllowing and uprising cool moist air. In this respect the physical processes that detennine the formation of snow are entirely similar to those that deter- mine the formation of rain. The ordinary limits of snowfall and glaciation at sea level are north of the parallel of 30° north and south of the parallel of 30° south. Snow is an exceedingly poor conductor of heat, owing to the non-homo- geneous texture of the mass, which may be con- sidered as composed of alternate thin layers of ice and air. A covering of snow on the ground, or a hut hastily built of blocks of snow, is a perfect protection against the cold storms from the north. The roots of the most tender vegetation prosper under a covering of snow, which, ordinarily, maintains them at a luiiform temperature of about 32° F. During the winter season snow falls at irregu- lar intervals ; sometimes in connection with rain, and a few daj's of dry air. clear sunshine, and strong wind cause the snow to evaporate and disappear. From an agricultural and a geologi- cal point of view the amount of snow l.ying on the ground at any time is higlily important. The United States Weather Bureau publishes monthly maps showing this feature of climatology; a gen- eral map has also been compiled showing the normal amount of snowfall for the whole year as a help to the sfudy of the conditions that favor the accumvilation of snow and the pos- sible occurrence of a glacial period in North America. Bibliography. The principal collection of snow pliotographs are those that we owe to Dr. Neuhauss. of Berlin, 18n2-93; G. Norden- skiold, of Stockholm ; A. A. Sigson, of Rybinsk, Russia : and, most important of all, those of W. A. Bentley, of Jericho, Vermont. See articles in Appleton's Popular Scirnre Monthly, May, 1898, and in the Uonthhj Weather Review for May, 1901. SNOW, Lorenzo (1814-1901). An American olticial, president of the Mormon ('lunch, born at Mantua, Portage County, Ohio. He studied at Oberlin College, in 1836 was converted to Mor- monism, and in 1840-43 was a missionary to Great Britain. In 18.52 he was elected to the Utah House of Representatives, and until 1882 continued as a member of either the House or the Council. He established Brigham City in Utah in 18.55. and organized there a system of coope- rative industry. He was sent on missions to Italy in 1849, and to the Sandwich Islands in 1864. In 1889 he was elected president of the Twelve Apostles, and in 1898 president of the Mormon Church. His publications include a translation of the Book of Mormon into Italian, The Oiil/i J'ny to Be Saved (1851), and The Voice of Joseph (1852). SNOWBALL TREE. Another name for the Guelder rose (q.v.). SNOWBERRY {Symphoricarpos racemosus). A bushy deciduous shrub of the natural order Caprifoliacesp. a native of northern North Amer- ica, and common in shrubberies. It has simple leaves, small flowers, white inedible berries, about the size of black currants, remaining on the bush after the leaves. The creeping snowberry {Chiogenes serpyllifolia) is a native of North American bogs. SNOW-BIRD. Any species of bird, usually a tinch. associated with snow. In the United States the name is most commonly applied to the juncos (q.v.), but also to the snow-biuiting (q.v.). See Plate of Sr.MiROWs. SNOW-BUNTING, or Snow-Flake. A large finch {Plectrophenax nivalis) of a genus dis- tinguished by the long lark-like straight claw of the hind toe and a similarity to the larks in habits; there is a similar ease and celerity in lunning along the ground, and the song is very different from that of any of the true buntings. The color of the plumage is very different from most fringilline birds, for white predominates. In summer plumage the back and parts of the wings and tail are black. In winter plumage all the upper parts are rusty brown. The length of an adult is seven inches. The snow-bunting abounds in summer in all parts of the arctic regions, and in winter migrates into the north temperate regions, but is rarely seen even in the Northern United States, except in severe winters, and when snow is plentiful. It feeds largely on the seeds of grasses and weeds, and is often seen in company with longspurs (q.v.). See Plate of Buntings and Grosbeaks. SNOW-COCK. A namS given by Anglo-Indian sportsmen to two different birds found near the snow-line in the Himalayas. One is the Tibetan snow-pheasant, a large and active species fre- quenting the stony heights of all Central Asia. It is TetraognUus BimaJayensis. Other species are found in various other Asiatic mountain ranges. Another snow-cock is the 'jer-raonal' (Lerwa nivicola) of the higher Himalayas and Western China. SNOWDEN, sno'd'n, James Ross (1810-78). an American numismatist, born at Chester, Pa. After graduating at Dickinson College, he settled in Franklin. Subsequently he was State Treas- urer (1845-47), treasurer of the United States mint (1847-50), and its director (1853-61). His publications include many pamphlets on coins and his Description of Coins in the United fitates Mint (1860) ; Coins of the Bible (1864) ; and an article on the coins of the United States in the yntional Almanac (1873). SNOWDON, snd'don. A mountain group in Caernarvonshire. North Wales (Map: Wales, B 3). It is broken by valleys into four minor groups, whose chief peak, Moel-y-Wyddfa ('the conspicuous peak'), is the highest moiuitain in South Britain, being 3560 feet above sea- level. SNOW-DROP (so called from the color of the (lower). dahnitliKs. A genus of plants of the natural order Amaryllidaceoe. The bulbous root produces two leaves and one single-flowered leaf- less stem. The common snow-drop (Galanthvs nivalis) is found cliiefly in the woods and pastures of Soiithern Europe. Various spe- cies are popular spring flowers in flower gar- dens.