THE ARCTIC FAUNA. 185 



Professor Blytt directs attention to some such 

 southern relict species of plants now only found in the 

 extreme south-west of Scandinavia, such as Asplenium 

 niarinuni) Hymenophyllum Wilsoni, Carex binervis^ 

 Scilla verna, Erica cinerea, Conopodimn denudalum, 

 Meum athamanticum, and Rosa involuta (p. 28). 



The Arctic fauna and flora in Scandinavia that 

 is to say, the descendants of those species which 

 migrated direct from Greenland and Spitsbergen, 

 as we have seen, are numerous. They of course per- 

 sisted throughout the Glacial period in the country, 

 and are now in many localities being exterminated 

 partly by change of climate, partly by a keen com- 

 petition with more vigorous rivals which have come 

 to Scandinavia from the east. It is a curious circum- 

 stance, as pointed out by Professor Blytt, that the 

 Arctic plants in the Botanic Gardens at Christiania 

 are able to stand almost any amount of sunshine, 

 but are very liable to be injured by the frost, and have 

 to be covered in the winter. A similar observation 

 has been made in the case of the Alpine plants at 

 Kew Gardens, which have to be wintered in frames, 

 though their homes are either in the high Alps among 

 the everlasting snows or in the intensely cold climate 

 of Greenland. Many of the Scandinavian plants ex- 

 hibit instances of discontinuous distribution, thus show- 

 ing their ancient origin ; and there is altogether nothing 

 in the fauna and flora of that country which might 

 lead us to believe that these were exterminated 

 during the Glacial period and reintroduced subse- 



