28 Game of Europe, W. & N. Asia & America 



which, together with the existing Scandinavian animal, is regarded as 

 practically identical with the Barren-Ground reindeer of Arctic America, 

 while the other is considered inseparahle from the woodland reindeer ot 

 North America. The former of these, it is said, is found only in the 

 extreme west of Europe, while the latter occurs in Central and Eastern 

 Europe and Asia. And on this evidence it is argued that the Barren- 

 Ground reindeer entered Europe by a land connection viti Greenland and 

 Iceland ; while the woodland form made its way via Bering Strait. 



At the conclusion of a long argument the author notices (p. i 57) that 

 in Deer of All Lauds the present writer has denied the identity ot the 

 Scandinavian and the Barren-Ground reindeer, and he then proceeds to 

 remark that " the whole subject is by no means as well known as could be 

 wished, and a very careful comparative study of recent and fossil remains 

 of the reindeer from various parts of the Old and New World is much 

 needed to put our views on a hrmer basis." 



As a matter oi fact, the Scandinavian reindeer, as all naturalists are 

 agreed, is a perfectly distinct animal from the Barren-Ground form ; the 

 only difference of opinion being as to whether they should be regarded as 

 species or races. If Dr. Scharff is right in considering that there were 

 formerly two types of reindeer in Europe, their distribution may be per- 

 fectly well explained by assuming that the Western or Scandinavian form 

 wandered from Scandinavia by a land connection between that country 

 and Scotland, and so on to Ireland, at a time when England was detached 

 from Scotland and joined to the Continent. On the other hand, the second 

 form might have spread over the whole of Central and Eastern Europe, 

 and thus through Asia to America. There are no grounds, however, for 

 definitely deciding whether the Old or the New World is the original 

 home of reindeer, although it would seem more probable that the group 

 was differentiated in the Eastern rather than in the Western Hemisphere. 



