4 OBIGIN OF LIFE IN AMERICA 



Greenland constitute a single variety, according to Professor 

 Camerano,* while Mr. Lydekker separates the Scandinavian 

 from the Greenland race. Following Professor Camerano's 

 example, Dr. Lonnberg f prefers the nasal bones of the skull, 

 to the antlers for specific diagnosis. He unites the Greenland, 

 Spitsbergen and Scandinavian forms with the American 

 barren-ground reindeer in one group, characterised by their 

 flat nasals. ^The Finland and Siberian reindeer he holds to 

 be quite distinct races, particularly the former, which, with 

 its elevated nasal bones and somewhat flattened antlers, ap- 

 proaches the American woodland caribou. Even Robert 

 Brown J long ago commented on the likeness of the Green- 

 land and European reindeer, remarking that some reindeer 

 horns from Greenland could not be distinguished from 

 European ones. Since Professors Camerano and Lonnberg, 

 moreover, take both skull characters and antlers into con- 

 sideration, we may assume that this view of the affinity of the 

 Greenland to the north-west European race is likely to be the 

 correct one. 



An anonymous writer in " Natural Science," (p. 358, 

 1899) gave it as his opinion that there are no grounds for 

 deciding whether the Old or the New World was the original 

 home of the reindeer. No doubt he meant to convey that we 

 know nothing of the ancestry of the reindeer. I ventured, 

 on the contrary, to put forward the theory that the reindeer 

 had originated in the Polar area, beyond the confines of the 

 European Continent, while Professor Schlosser || argued that 

 it was evidently of American origin. Neither of these views 

 is supported by positive geological evidence ; nevertheless 

 I cannot agree with the above critic that we possess no grounds 

 for deciding the place of origin of the reindeer, as the results 

 of Professor Camerano's and Professor Lonnberg's cranial 

 researches seem to indicate the existence of a closer rela- 

 tionship between the west European and the Greenland and 



* Camerano, L., " Renne delle Isole Spitzberge," p. 167. 

 t Lonnberg, Einar, " Taxonomic Notes about Reindeer," p. 10. 

 | Brown, Robert, "Mammals of Greenland," p. 352. 

 Scharff, R. F., " History of European Fauna," p. 155. 

 || Schlosser, M., M Beziehungen d. ausgestorben. Siiugethier-faunen," 

 p. 617. 



