62 Prof. O. Heer on the Miocene Flora 
derived from these explorations have been deposited in various 
museums, amongst others in those of Dublin, London, Copen- 
hagen, and Stockholm. These precious materials have been 
placed at my disposal; and thus I have been enabled to ex- 
amine a great Ringel of fossil plants found in the north of 
Canada, near the Mackenzie River, on Banks Land, in North 
Greenland, in Iceland, and Spitzbergen. The study of these 
has led me to some important results with regard to the dis- 
tribution of plants during the epochs preceding that in which 
we live. I have also been able to draw from them some in- 
teresting conclusions as to the climate which was then enjoyed 
by the countries situated around the North Pole. 
The Arctic fossil Flora, in the present state of our know- 
ledge, consists of 162 species. The Cryptogamia include 18 
species, 9 of which are fine Ferns of large size, which pro- 
bably covered the soil of the forests. Among the others we 
must note some little Fungi, which then formed spots and 
small points upon the leaves of trees, as the analogous species 
do at the present day. Among the Phanerogamia we find 31 
species of Coniferee, 14 species of Monocotyledons, and 99 
species of Dicotyledons. Judging of these from the allied 
species in existing nature, 78 of them were trees, and 50 shrubs. 
hus, therefore, 128 species of ligneous plants were then dif- 
fused over the polar regions. Among the Conifers we 
remark Hpicee, Junipers, and Pines, most of which resemble 
American species. One of the most remarkable species is the 
Pinus MacClurit, very nearly related to Pinus alba of Canada. 
Of this, MacClure and his companions brought back cones ob- 
tained from Banks Land; and they observed the trunk in 
the remarkable mountains of fossil wood discovered in that 
country. ‘The Miocene beds of Iceland have furnished seven 
species belonging to Pines or Junipers. The Sequoiw (Wel- 
lingtonias) are still more abundant than the pines; this genus 
‘played a very important part in the Miocene period, and is 
found fossil in Europe, Asia, and America. At the present 
day it includes only two species (Sequoia sempervirens and S. 
gigantea), confined exclusively to California. ‘These are the 
last representatives of this remarkable genus, to which belong 
the largest trees in the world. We find four species of it in 
the Miocene beds of the polar regions, three of which also 
occur at the same level in Central Europe. At this period 
Sequoia Langsdorffii was the most abundant tree in the 
north of Greenland; and we are acquainted not only with its 
branches and their leaves, but also with its flowers, cones, and 
seeds. It occurs also in the north of Canada, in Vancouver’s 
Island, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, and is very nearly al- 
