FLORA. 213 



geography and geognosy of the Polar region in regard to 

 the explorers and the different beds or deposits found 

 there; and, resuming his palsentological narrative, he 

 says : 



' It appears to us to be indubitable from the studies of the 

 Arctic flora by M. Heer, that at the time of the coal for- 

 mations no influence of nature acting on the climate, and 

 through it on the vegetation can be attributable to lati- 

 tude, the effects of which, difficult to determine at this 

 distance of time from the events, are found to have been 

 entirely neutralised, if not annulled. 



' We have no facts obtained from the Permian, of which 

 we have not indications all the way up to the Pole. 



' The Trias exists at Cape Thordsen in the basin of 

 Isfiord, where M. Nordenskjold has collected not only the 

 plants of this deposit, but marine fossils characteristic of 

 it, and amongst them remains of the Enalosauriens, of the 

 genus Ichthyosaurus, the presence of which testifies that the 

 great swimming reptiles, then so diffused in the seas of 

 Europe, were not excluded from the circum-polar seas. 

 This is an important indication of the equality of climate ; 

 and this climatic equality among the terrestrial zones is 

 further established by an examination of the Jurassic 

 vegetables of Cape Boheman.' These, though not yet 

 published at the time Count Saporta's paper was read, had 

 been described by Professor Heer, and drawings of them 

 had been sent to the Count, who goes on to say : 



' An immense interval of time has elapsed : since the 

 time when the plants of Bear Island lived ; the vegetation 

 is entirely renewed ; it has completely changed its aspect. 

 The species, the genera, to some extent even the families, 

 are no longer the same ; but the changes have evidently 

 been brought about conformably to what was going on in 

 Europe in the same direction, and by the same process of 

 evolution. As in Europe, the vegetation, taking its depar- 

 ture from the same point, has led by degrees to the same 

 results, and presents at the time at which we find it again 

 the same characteristics as in the heart of our Continent 



