VI. FAUNA AND FLORA. 



The distribution of land and water in the Antarctic re- 

 gions, and the complete glaciation of the former, at least 

 in the high latitudes, brings it about that in the south 

 polar regions organic life is all but restricted to the sea, 

 and comprises forms which are partly peculiar to those 

 districts, and partly are to be found also more widely 

 distributed in other bio-geographical regions. Both king- 

 doms of organic life, plants and animals, possess a specially 

 characteristic feature in the Arctic as well as in the 

 Antarctic region, viz., poverty in species, but wealth, 

 sometimes exuberant wealth, in individuals, so long as 

 man, as a destructive agent, does not appear on the 

 scene. 



The vegetable world of the Antarctic regions, in our 

 definition of this latter term, is most abundantly represented 

 in the island of South Georgia, which is its most advanced 

 northerly position. Dr. Will, the botanist of the German 

 station in Royal Bay, found that arboreous ligneous plants 

 did not exist, but there were thirteen species of phanero- 

 gamous, besides numerous cryptogamous plants, which in 

 summer clothe every spot free from snow with their not 

 over-luxuriant verdure. The only plant with a vivid blos- 

 som is a yellow flowering, small ranunculus, ranunculus 

 biternatus, which grows in moist localities hidden in the 

 moss. The characteristic plants of the South Georgian 

 landscape are the tussock grass, poa flabellata {dactylis 

 caespitosa), which is peculiar to the Antarctic flora, a grami- 

 neous plant growing on small hillocks raised by the plant 



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