ON NORTH AMERICAN ZOOLOGY. 



163 



The species noted as reaching the 80th, or a higher parallel, 

 have been observed on Spitzbergen or in the neighbouring seas. 

 We are not aware of any rodent animal having been taken alive 

 in so high a latitude, but the skeleton of a Lemming was found 

 on the ice in 81|° N. by Sir Edvvard Parry on his memorable 

 expedition to the northward of Spitzbergen. The same species 

 exists on the most northern American Islands, and some small 

 gnawers might have been supposed to inhabit Spitzbergen from 

 a mustela having been seen there by Captain Phipps's people. 

 {Voyage towards the North Pole in 1773, p. 58.) The North 

 Georgian or Parry's islands support those marked as reaching 

 75° N. with the addition of all the Spitzbergen species, except 

 the weasel. We thus see that the orders carnivora, rodenfia, 

 ruminantia and cetacea, are represented in the most northern 

 known lands or coasts, the felidce reach 66° N., the marsapiata 

 44° N., the pachydermata 31° N., and the edentata and qua- 

 drumana to Mexico. 



The following table exhibits the number of North American 

 mammalia belonging to each order, and two tables, extracted 

 from Fischer's synopsis, are inserted in a note to furnish the 

 means of comparison ; but it is to be observed that Fischer 

 admits many species which still require much elucidation before 

 they can be fully established. Temminck considers that there 

 are about 930 well-determined species of mammalia, and 140 

 doubtful ones. If this estimate be nearly correct, North America 

 nourishes about one-fifth of the known species. 



Note. — An (*) is prefixed to the species whose identity with those of 

 Europe bearing the same names is not fully ascertained. 



M 2 



