own from the
whole circumpolar area. His view, that the Greenland flora is almost
exclusively Lapponian,--having only an extremely slight admixture of
American or Asiatic types,--again points to a former more intimate
connection between North America and Arctic Europe, and indeed he
remarks (p. 252), "It is inconceivable to me that so many Scandinavian
plants should, under existing conditions of sea, land, and temperature,
have not only found their way to Greenland by migration across the
Atlantic, but should have stopped short on its western coast and not
crossed to America."

Hooker's view, that the Scandinavian flora is of great antiquity, that,
at the advent of the Glacial period, it was everywhere driven
southwards, and that during the succeeding warm epoch the surviving
species returned north, has been adopted by the great majority of
naturalists.

The natural corollary of this theory is that there must have been,
between the beginning of the Glacial period and the present time, either
two independent land-connections between the Polar Regions and Northern
Europe at different epochs to enable animals and plants to travel
southwards and once more to regain their former northern home, or, that
during the whole of the Glacial period the Polar Regions were
uninterruptedly connected with Northern Europe, until the fauna and
flora had once more reached their northern goal, after the Polar lands
had been desolated by the supposed rigours of that period.

In following the history of the Arctic migration to Europe, it is of
great importance to determine the nature and the time of duration of
these land-connections. The Greenland flora is a very instructive one in
helping us to understand many of the problems connected with the origin
of the European plants and animals. To judge from the remarks of
Professor James Geikie and Mr. Clement Reid, no flowering plants could
have existed in the British Islands during the height of the Glacial
period, and one would suppose that the cold in Greenland at that time
must have been far more intense than in England. If no flowering plants
could exist in the latter country, then very surely none could in
Greenland, where the climate was of necessity by far more rigorous. It
will be a surprise, therefore, to those who are acquainted only with
Professor Geikie's views of the nature of the Glacial period, that two
of the most eminent Swedish botanists, who have made a special study of
th