31 



The peat has never been investigated paleonlologically, but we 

 know that it contains a fair niimber of pieces ol' juniper wood 

 which shows that this shrub was formerly common on the islands 

 though it is now very rare. On the other hånd, Geikie is hardly 

 right wlien he mentions that these sub-fossil woods prove that the 

 climate was originally milder. The almost complete externiination 

 of the juniper is doubtless due to the inhabitants and the domestic 

 animals (sheep) and not to the deterioration of the climate. 



