STEJ NEGER] ANIMALS AND PLANTS OF NORWAY RES 
deer, C. /uehdorffi, occurs, which on the Pacific coast plays the same 
role relative to the common central Asiatic ancestral stock of C. 
elaphus as does C. atlanticus on the Atlantic coast. That pine, 
birch, aspen and the other trees which form the forests of the home 
of the latter also thrive excellently in a climate with a temperature 
of —1° C. for the year, + 13° C. for July, and —8° C. for Janu- 
ary, it is scarcely necessary to point out, but it may be emphasized 
that if the Scoto-Norwegian land bridge existed at the time and in 
the manner advocated in this paper, then the climate of west Nor- 
way must have been considerably more continental than at present. 
Finally, the question of the so-called Norwegian Channel, the 
deep, canyon-like depression, 75 to 100 kilometers wide, skirting 
the southern and southwestern coast of Norway, calls for a few re- 
marks. At its northern extremity it is slightly deeper than 400 
meters ; it is shallowest off the mouth of the Hardangerfjord where 
it is about 275 m., and it is deepest at its eastern end in the Skagerak 
where it reaches a depth of 700 m. There is as yet no entirely satis- 
factory explanation of its origin. Probably the most commonly 
accepted hypothesis is that it was scoured out by an enormous gla- 
cier at a time when the sea stood near the 400 sea-meter level. If 
the west Norwegian glaciers at one time extended to Shetland 
and Scotland, it must have been previous to the excavation of this 
channel, as obviously no glacier could cross it at right angles. 
Somehow, its absolutely unique dimensions and its remarkable 
curved outline makes one wish for a more convincing theory. The 
other explanation seems to be, that the surface here has dropped 
down between an extensive system of faults. In support of this it 
may be said that the inner deep portions of the channel, the Ska- 
gerak, admittedly is such a depressed basin, the settling of which 
is still in progress as proven by the numerous earthquakes which 
have their starting point here, the last important one being the great 
earthquake of October 23, 1904. The fact that the settling still 
continues would favor the theory that the channel is of recent origin, 
probably late postglacial, and that therefore the land connection 
with Scotland and Shetland was uninterrupted by the channel. 
There are many obscure points yet to be cleared up and explained, 
and details respecting the various elevation stages may never be 
obtained, since they are covered by the sea, but I think I may safely 
claim to have made it appear probable: 
