30 



ON THE GEOGRAPHY OP ANIMALS. 



Arctic ; 2. the Central; and, 3. the Southern. The chief 

 seat, however, of this zoological province is between the 

 40th and 50th degrees of N. latitude. 



(42.) Arctic Europe comprehends Greenland, Lap- 

 land, the islands of Spitzbergen and Iceland, and a con- 

 siderable part of Norway, Sweden, and Northern Russia. 

 The intense cold of these regions, being highly unfa- 

 vourable to animal life, renders the species very few. 

 There must be an exception, however, made in favour 

 of the marine tribes ofMollusca, and of the aquatic birds : 

 vast multitudes of both are regular visitants to these in- 

 hospitable shores ; the former class supplying food to the 

 latter. Among the quadrupeds, the Arctic foxes, wolves, 

 seals, and Polar bears, are well-known inhabitants. 

 Otho Fabricius mentions thirty-two species of Mam, 

 malia as natives of Greenland, nine of which are seals 

 and walruses ; and fifteen belong to the whale class ; thus 

 leaving but eight species of terrestrial quadrupeds. The 

 number of birds, including occasional visiters to Green- 

 land, are fifty-two ; among which, seven are rapaci- 

 ous, and only five belong to the warblers and finches; 

 the remainder, with the exception of the ptarmigan 

 (Lagopus mutus}, belong to the wading and swimming 

 orders, to whose nourishment and increase the Arctic 

 solitudes are highly favourable. 

 Nevertheless, the largest propor- 

 tion of these birds occur abund- 

 antly in sou them latitudes; and 

 many extend even to Mexico, 

 Northern Asia, and the shores 

 of the Mediterranean. Those 

 species, in fact, which are con- 

 fined to the Arctic circle, are 

 remarkably few. The most 

 characteristic bird of Arctic 

 Europe is the great snowy owl 

 (Strix Nyctea L. fig.\.} } which 

 extends its range over all the 

 regions bordering upon the north pole. 



