EASTERN ORIGINAL SIBERIA. 41 



instance, at the mouth of the Yenissei where it was tlie liist living creature seen hy Noi- 

 denskjold's oxpeiiition on the Siberian sho^'e at the entrance of the gulf of Yenissei; it some- 

 times even reaches the settlement of Tolstyi Nos, which is the first inhabited spot on the 

 Yenissei from the ocean, but it does not penetrate further. Xext come those arctic wild 

 animals which almost oxclusively inhabit the polar tundra region: the arctic fox, (canis la- 

 gopus L), found in the Taimyi-sk peninsula under 75" northern latitude, and the small striped 

 or Obi lemings, (myodes torquatus and inyodes obensis). There was formerly another large ani- 

 mal contemporaneous with mankind existing in the polar tundra region corresponding to the 

 musk ox, (bos moschatus), which is found in the polar regions of America, but has now 

 entirely disappeared: this Siberian ox (bos pallasii) was distinct from the American variety, but 

 is only known by the skulls and bones found in the TaimjTsk tundras. Finally as character- 

 istic animals of the tundras the northern hare, (lepus variabilis Pall.) and the reindeer, (cervus 

 tarandus L), may be mentioned, although they spread far do\Mi into the forest zone. The latter is 

 found in the mi)untatnous parts of South Siberia; on the Urals it goes down south as far as 

 52° northern latitude, on the Altai to 49", on the Sayan and Stauovoi chain to 53", and in 

 the Amour region it reaches the mouth of the Ussuri under 49° north latitude. 



The rest of the mammalia dwelling in the Siberian plains may be regarded as animals 

 of the forest zone, although many of them penetrate into the polar tundra region. These are 

 the glutton, (gulo borealis Nilss.), the common bear, (ursus arctus L), the very rare sable, 

 (mustella zibellina L), the ermine, (inustolla erminea L), the Siberian weasel (mustella sibirica 

 Pall.), the common weasel (mustella vulgaris Ertl.) the otter, (Intra vulgaris, Erkl.) although 

 rare, the wolf, (canis lupus L), the fox, (canis vulpes L), the black variety being only 

 peculiar to the extreme north, the lynx, (felis lynx L), the elk (cervus alces L), the flying 

 squirrel, (pteromys volans L), the comninn S([uirrel, (sciurus vulgaris L), thr striped squirrel, 

 (tamias striatus L) and some small species of rodents. Finally on the low mountain ridges inter- 

 secting the polar and forest regions of Easttn-n Siberia, for instance, on the Severma chain east of 

 the Yenissei under 67" north latitude, and on the mountains following the current of the 

 lower Tnnguzka there are animals belonging to the mountain fauna, namely the mountain 

 sheep, (aegoceros montanus Desm.) and the musk, (mosclius moschiferus L.). 



On the Altai-Sayan elevations in Eastern and particularly Western Siberia, there are 

 naturally species of such mammals as are not found on the Siberian plains. These are 

 the Alpine wolf, (canis alpinus. Pall), two races of large cats, (felis irbis Miill and felis manul), 

 the chtonoergus alpinus, spermophylus Eversmanni, the alpine hare (lagomys Alpinus Pali), the 

 stag, (cervus elaphus) and others. 



Birds, being \mvo widely spread than any other vertebrates, are fairly plentiful in all 

 three zones of Easteiu and Western Siberia. The birds of prey, which are found as far as the 

 Taimyr peninsula, iw: one of the eagle tribe, probably aquila albicilla Bris. and a buzzard 

 (buteo lagopiis), two sorts of falcons, (falco iivrlalco L., falco tinuncula St.) and some bats, (stryx 

 brachyotus F(n-st, stryx nictea L., stryx funeroa Lath). The small birds, [lasseres, which nest far 

 north in Siberia are some varieties of larks, (alauda alpestris L., plectroph nivalis L., plectroph 

 lapponica, emberiiiza i)olaris Mid., fringilla liuaria L., parus sibiricns Pm., motacilla alba L). The 

 fowls which are found [»artly in the polar zone and especially in the forest zone are partic- 



