578 TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION K. 



southern limit of the ice-sheet the winter temperature may nave been quite 

 mild enough to support a large number of our species. In a large part of the 

 South of England I see no reason why hundreds of species may not have lived 

 since the pliocene, the covering of snow during the winter being a compensa- 

 tion for the lower temperature of the air for a portion of the time. . . .' 



Dr. Scharff discussed the problem from a zoological point of view, dealing 

 chiefly with the larger animals living in Ireland in present and past times. 

 In the Irish turf, marl, and cave deposits we find various mammalian remains. 

 The more recent deposits contain remains of the red deer (still living in 

 Ireland). Lower down are found those of the reindeer, Irish elk, lemming, 

 Arctic fox, hyaana, mammoth, &c. Many of these large herbivores undoubtedly 

 existed at the same time in Ireland. There must therefore have been ample 

 food (i.e., plants) available for these creatures at that time. To all appearance 

 the northern species such as lemming, Arctic fox, reindeer, &c, immigrated 

 to Ireland after the animals of a more southern origin were already in the 

 country. It is generally believed that the northern fauna and flora came south 

 during the Glacial Period. Hence Dr. Scharff regarded the whole of the present 

 fauna as being of preglacial or early glacial origin. It seems evident that these 

 animals could only have reached Ireland by a land connection with Great 

 Britain. Dr. Scharff differed from Mr. Reid in regard to the destruction of 

 the Irish mammalian fauna; and was of opinion that the mass of the fauna 

 survived the Glacial Period in Ireland. 



Dr. Otto Stapf expressed his agreement with the author's views as to the 

 effect of the glaciation of the British Isles on the flora, and the re-immigration 

 of the bulk of the latter in post-glacial times, but combated the theory of the 

 presence of the peculiar American, Atlantic, and limestone elements being due 

 to chance introduction over great distances. He described the present distri- 

 bution of the American and Atlantic plants in question and pointed out thit 

 there existed in both cases such gradations of discontinuity as to connect the 

 extreme cases with cases of almost continuous areas, the former representing 

 merely the last phase of disintegration. In the case of the Atlantic elements, 

 many of them reach to, or so closely approach, the English Channel via the 

 West of France, that the assumption of comparatively small climatic changes 

 making for a milder climate, such as existed at one time after the withdrawal 

 of the great glaciers, seems quite sufficient to explain a former more or less 

 continuous extension of those Atlantic plant areas. There is no need to 

 postulate a pleistocene land connection across the Bay of Biscay, nor extra- 

 ordinary cases of seed dispersal by winds or birds. He finally pleaded for 

 some action to secure the co-ordination and preservation of all records (including 

 all the rare finds) which bear on the history of the flora of the British Isles. 



Professor C. Sohroter pave a brief account of two theories of the post- 

 glacial history of the Swiss Flora. These are (1) the so-called ' clinical theory ' 

 of Nathorst, &c. , and (2) the new theory of Brockman of the oceanic nature 

 of the glacial climate. He then called attention to recent evidence from the 

 Swiss Alns of the great effect of wind on plant distribution. 



Mr. W. B. Wright called attention to the stability of the southern half 

 of the British Isles since early glacial times, which is proved by the occurrence 

 throughout this area and the north of France of a pre-glacial shoreline, parallel 

 to and only a few feet above the present one. This implies that there has been 

 little or no recent folding or faulting in this region, and shows that the oscillations 

 in the relative level of land and sea were of a regional character. The presence 

 of deeply submerged forests and peat beds throughout the district indicates, 

 though it hardly proves, that a land connection existed with the continent in 

 post-glacial times. This connection seems to be demanded for the entry of the 

 larger mammals, which have Found their way into England and Ireland since 

 the Ice Age. Dr. Scharff stood almost alone among the scientists of Ireland in 

 believing that any portion of that island could have harboured a temperate 

 fauna and flora during the maximum glaciation. 



The evidence as to the total extinction of all life on Krakatoa has been 

 questioned on the ground that seeds may have been preserved in the old surface 

 deposits beneath the mantle of ash, and subsequently exposed for growth by the 

 rapid formation of rain gullies known to have followed the eruption. 



