52 



\r. ;{. c 11. OSTENKKM): 



position of Ihe llora of soulli-wcslcni (ircoiihiiKi; some fiO 

 species ure piesinnecl to have heen J)rou^lit in by tliis eolo- 

 nisation. 



The West Coast of (ireenland is far richer in species 

 than Ihe l^asl ("oast (l.'U species are only l'ound on the 

 West Coast). This is (hie to: 1 ) more ice-free land, 2) a more 

 sheltered situation, 3) a shorter distance from the nearest 

 adjaeent land (X. America), and 4) the inlluence of the 

 Norse colonisation. 



The Kast Coast has only 9 species not l'ound in the 

 West. 



North Greenland, i. e. Greenland north of 7(V N. Lat. 

 forms a natural area \vith 8 species peculiar to itself. It 

 is very poor as regards the numher of species (125 in all) 

 owing to the severe conditions of life (northerly situation). 



The high-arctic species decrease in numher from north 

 to south, hoth on the West and East Coasts, and the suh- 

 arctic and horeal increase correspondingly ; arctic species 

 in a Nvider sense have their maximum ahout midway dovvn, 

 both on the West and East Coasts, decreasing thence hoth 

 to the north and south (see graph p. 33). 



Of fhe S endemic species, all of which helong to critical 

 genera, 4 species of Hieracinin are remarkable in that they 

 must be assumed to have descended from species introduced 

 during the Xorse colonisation; the origin of these species 

 cannot thus be more than at most 900 years old. 



Afler detailed consideration of the vaiious j)hyto-geo- 

 graphical groups inlo \vhich Ihe sj)ecies are dislributed, and 

 having regard to their distribution outside Greenland, the 

 writer cf)iues lo Ihe conclusion thai 74 species (of which 

 50 broughl by the Xorsemen) are immigrants from Europe; 

 the remainder (316) must most probably be regarded as 



