160 NATURAL SCIENCE [September 
teristic of the early periods in the recovery of our country after 
its emergence from the waves and the close of what is now termed 
“the Ice-Age”—the ages of the aspen (Populus tremula), of the 
fir (Pinus sylvestris), the oak (Quercus sessiliflora), and ulti- 
mately the alder (Alnus glutinesa) and the beech (Fagus 
sylvatica). Much time was destined to elapse before these 
studies of the gifted rising naturalist, so important for the history 
of the life of our globe, were taken up elsewhere in other northern 
regions, 
In the year 1839-40 Steenstrup was sent by the Government, 
with an Icelandic student, Hallgrimson, and Mr Schytte, afterwards 
Professor of Chemistry in Chile and Governor at Puntas Arenas on 
the Straits of Magellan, to Iceland for an economic investigation of 
this country. The story of this voyage, though interesting to those 
who have had the good fortune to hear Steenstrup’s reminiscences 
of the country, its nature and its people, was never published ; nor 
was his interesting and fruitful discovery that the so-called “ Surtur- 
brand ” in the Tertiary trap formation of Iceland contained a series 
of remains of an arboreal vegetation, with its tulip-trees (Lirio- 
dendron), ete., most resembling that of certain subtropical regions, 
until his Icelandic materials and figures were placed in the hands of 
Oswald Heer. Steenstrup’s investigations on the volcanic formation 
of Iceland have been taken up by younger minds, who have no 
doubt been much benefited by the information that was in Steen- 
strup’s possession. Another discovery made by Steenstrup on this 
trip to Iceland happened during some sunny days near the coast of 
Norway, viz., the discovery of the metamorphosis of crabs (Hyas 
araneus) and soldier crabs (Pagurus bernhardus), at a period when 
metamorphosis in Crustacea was very little known, and therefore 
was received by excellent zoologists with considerable doubt. Steen- 
strup’s letters to Reinhardt on this subject were printed in the 
Proceedings of the Royal Danish Academy in 1870. The 
specimens collected were also sent down to his teacher. They 
were seen here by Rathke, who described them together with the 
material collected by himself. The history of the metamorphosis 
in the higher Crustacea now occupies an extensive literature ; 
among the first pioneers in this important chapter Steenstrup’s 
name must have its place. | 
Shortly after his return from Iceland in 1841 Steenstrup was 
appointed lecturer in Botany and Mineralogy (geology) in the 
Academy of Sorde in Seeland, the only place in Denmark where 
Natural History and a knowledge of modern languages had its 
rightful place among the classical lines of study. Here he remained 
until 1846, occupied especially with two of his best known works, 
published as programmes of the college, viz., “The Alternations of 
al 
