378 HEER, MIOCENE FLORA AND FAUNA, GREENLAND. 



LII. — The Miocene Flora and Fauna of the Arctic 

 Regions. By the Rev. Dr. Oswald Heer, F.M.G.S., 

 Professor of Botany, University of Zurich, &c. 



[From '' Flora fossUis arctica^" vol. ill., 1875.] 



Miocene Plants have been found in Spitzbergen from 77-1° to 

 78f° N.L., in West Greenland from 70° to 71° N.L., in East 

 Greenland at 74^° N.L., in Iceland between 65° and 66°, on the 

 Mackenzie (Bear-Lake River) at 65°, and in Banks' Land at 

 74° 27' N.L. 



1. In Spitzbergen Miocene Plants have been collected at six 

 places ; namely, at the Scott Glacier in Recherche Bay* (77^° 

 N.L.) ; at Cape Lyell at the entrance of Bell Sound ; at Cape 

 Staratschin at the entrance of the Ice-fjord (78° 5' N.L.) ; at 

 Cape Heer near Greenhaven ; and in King's Bay, 78° 56' N.L. 



We now know 179 species of plants from these localities ; 34 

 from the Scott Glacier, 51 from Cape Lyell, 9 from Bell Sound, 

 115 from Cape Staratschin (from black shale and sandstone), 

 15 from Cape Heer, and 16 from King's Bay. 



Equisetumarcticum, Taxodium distichum, Populus Richnrdsoni, 

 P. arctica, Corylus Macquarrii, Platanus aceroides, and Hedera 

 Macclurii occur at nearly every one of the places, and must have 

 spread over all the old land. With other species common to 

 several of the localities, they show that the strata containing them 

 belong to one formation. The new discoveries show also that 

 these beds are Lower Miocene. We find 40 of the Spitzbergen 

 species in the Miocene of Europe ; 23 in Switzerland, of which 

 19 occur in our Lower Freshwater Molasse. 



2. In West Greenland Miocene Plants have been collected at 

 10 localities. Excepttng Asakak, they are on the shores of the 

 Waigat, some in Disco, some in the Noursoak Peninsula. The 

 most important is the upper part of the hill at Atanekerdluk, where 

 124 species have been got. In the " Supplemental Remarks on 

 " the Miocene Flora of Greenland," in this vol. of the ** Flora 

 foss. arct.," it is shown that during the long period of the great 

 Basalt-formation of Greenland no special change in the vegetation 

 took place. The plants of Ifsorisok, Netluarsuk, and Sinifik 

 agree generally with those of Upper Atanekerdluk, although 

 during their deposition 2,000 feet thickness of basalt was 

 formed. The deposit at Puilasok only, which lies on the basalt, 

 shows some difference in its plant-remains, some of which resemble 

 those of our Upper Molasse (CEningen beds). 



Of the 169 Miocene species from Greenland, 69 occur in Europe ; 



* The new localities for these fossils at the Scott Glacier, Cape Lyell, and 

 Cape Heer were discovered by Prof. Nordenskiold in the summer of 1873. 

 The plants then collected will be published by-and-by ; they increase the 

 Miocene Flora of Spitzbergen by 47 species. 



