30 ON THE GEOGRAPHY OF 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 of Mollusca, 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 Mdam- 
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- 
tionof these birds occur abund- 
antly in southern 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.1.), which 
extends its range over all the 
regions bordering upon the north pole. 
