THE ALPINE FAUNA. 315 



that it is extremely probable that it has originated 

 there. It may then have developed a new centre of 

 distribution in the newly-formed Alps, where both 

 Sorex alpinus and 5. minutus (pygmceus) have their 

 home. From there they again spread perhaps 

 already in miocene times to Asia and North 

 America, where a large number of new species 

 originated. It seems to me even probable that one 

 of these Asiatic species of Sorex, viz. S. araneus 

 (vulgar is}> subsequently migrated towards the old 

 home of its forefathers, since we find it more or less 

 confined to Central and Northern Asia and Northern 

 Europe. 



Though the origin of the Alpine Hare has already 

 been referred to and fully discussed in a previous 

 chapter (p. 148), the conclusions arrived at may be 

 once more repeated. The Alpine Hare (Lepus 

 variabilis] is of Arctic origin. It spread southward 

 into Europe, North America, and Asia in early glacial 

 times, and reached our continent from Spitsbergen by 

 means of a direct land-connection with Lapland. 

 The Scandinavian peninsula was then separated from 

 Russia, but connected with Scotland and Ireland 

 (Fig. 13, p. 170). Since England was then united to 

 France, the Alpine Hare was able to invade western 

 continental Europe and all the mountain ranges. 

 Its range is very discontinuous, small colonies being 

 scattered all over the mountainous parts of the 

 Northern Hemisphere, while the European Hare 

 a closely allied species occurs in the plain, and now 



