430 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



first appearance of animal life in the Cambrian strata have 

 lived on up to the present time. It is represented in each 

 period by several species, and shows throughout the whole 

 line such a striking uniformity in its external characters that 

 distinguishing between the species is often exceedingly diffi- 

 cult. 



With regard to the Atlantis, which is mentioned by Dr. 

 Von Jhering, I have dealt with that subject in the " Botanischer 

 Zeitung," and am of opinion, with Wallace, that that point is 

 settled. In Ireland a few mosses occur which are found 

 nowhere else in Europe, but have their nearest allies in the 

 tropics — Daltonia splachnoides and Hooker ia Icete-virens. I 

 can only consider them as remnants of a former vegetation 

 which included many more tropical forms, and not due to any 

 great difference in geological time. In connection with this is 

 the occurrence of a phanerogamic grass-like plant — Eriocaalon 

 scptentrionale — on the Isle of Man, the only representative of 

 the tropical family Eriocaulea.* The fact that these plants 

 have maintained themselves in their home can only be ex- 

 plained by the existence of the warm Gulf Stream, which flows 

 round Great Britain, first striking Ireland. The Gulf Stream 

 must therefore have been in existence ever since these plants 

 had their present habitat ; and if this is so there cannot have 

 been an Atlantis, which would have barricaded off the Gulf 

 Stream. Consequently I cannot agree with Unger's theory. 

 By this I do not mean to imply that land bridges never 

 existed. In fact, I fancy I know one myself. But I am of 

 opinion that they are of rare occurrence. 



In southern Norway, especially in the Bergen- Stift, there 

 are a good number of plants which are not related to those of 

 the rest of the Norwegian flora, but correspond with the 

 Scottish flora. In the first place there is a moss, CEdipodium 

 griffithsi, which is only found in Scotland — where it was first 

 discovered — and in Bergen- Stift : a moss which differs essen- 

 tially and in many respects from all its allies in the family 

 Splachnacece, and therefore stands quite isolated. This moss 

 I also consider to be a remnant of an extinct flora. But how 

 came it to Norway ? Or how is such a distant occurrence 

 to be explained ? Simply in this way : that at a certain 

 geological time there was a land connection, perhaps only im- 

 perfect, between Scotland and Norway — a communication 

 which was broken up by the waves of the North Atlantic 

 Ocean, and of which the Shetland and Lofoden Islands may 

 be the remnants. This also easily explains why Heligoland 

 is but a small remnant of a land which, according to Adam v. 

 Bremen, formerly extended over many square miles. More- 



* This is not quite correct. — F. W. H. 



