20 FOREST LIFE IN ACADIE. 



The seafaring man arriving from Europe will find even 

 less of divergence amongst the finny tribes and the sea- 

 fowl on these coasts, and indeed will not pretend to assert 

 a difference in most cases. 



The very interesting question thus readily suggests, 

 itself to the naturalist — in what light are many analogous 

 forms in Western Europe and Atlantic North America to 

 be regarded in reference to each other ? The identity of 

 the species which almost continuously range the circum- 

 arctic zoological province is perfectly well established in 

 such instances as those of the arctic fox, the white bear, and 

 of many of the Cetaceae and Phocidse amongst mammals; 

 of the eiders, common and king, the pintail and others of 

 the Anatidse, and of the sturgeon, capelin, herring, and 

 probably the sea-salmon amongst fishes. Nor could the 

 fact be reasonably doubted in the case of creatures which 

 are permanent residents of a limited circumpolar zone, or 

 even in that of the migratory species which affect polar 

 regions for a season, and thence regularly range south- 

 wards over the diverging continents. The question, how- 

 ever, which is offered for solution is respecting those 

 analogous forms which have apparently permanent habi- 

 tats in the Old and New Worlds, and have always 

 remained (as far as is known) geographically isolated. 

 With regard to the arctic deer the author s considerations 

 will be found given at some length, but there are many 

 other analogies in the fauna and flora of the two hemi- 

 spheres, which, on comparison, naturally lead to a dis- 

 cussion on the subject of local variation, and as to how 

 far the system of classification is to be thus modified. 



Buffon's idea that many of the animals of the New 

 World were the descendants of Old World stock would 



