FLORA. 213 
geography and geognosy of the Polar region in regard to 
the explorers and the different beds or deposits found 
there; and, resuming his palentological narrative, he 
says :— 
‘It appears to us to be indubitable from the studies of the 
Arctic flora by M. Heer, that at the time of the coal for- 
mations no influence of nature acting on the climate, and 
through it on the vegetation can be attributable to lati- 
tude, the effects of which, difficult to determine at this 
distance of time from the events, are found to have been 
entirely neutralised, if not annulled. 
‘We have no facts obtained from the Permian, of which 
we have not indications all the way up to the Pole. 
‘The Trias exists at Cape Thordsen in the basin of 
Isfiord, where M. Nordenskjéld has collected not only the 
plants of this deposit, but marine fossils characteristic of 
it, and amongst them remains of the Enalosauriens, of the 
genus Ichthyosaurus, the presence of which testifies that the 
great swimming reptiles, then so diffused in the seas of 
Europe, were not excluded from the circum-polar seas, 
This is an important indication of the equality of climate ; 
and this climatic equality among the terrestrial zones is 
further established by an examination of the Jurassic 
vegetables of Cape Boheman. These, though not yet 
published at the time Count Saporta’s paper was read, had 
been described by Professor Heer, and drawings of them 
had been sent to the Count, who goes on to say :— 
‘An immense interval of time has elapsed: since the 
time when the plants of Bear Island lived; the vegetation 
is entirely renewed ; it has completely changed its aspect. 
The species, the genera, to some extent even the families, 
are no longer the same; but the changes have evidently 
been brought about conformably to what was going on in 
Europe in the same direction, and by the same process of 
evolution. As in Europe, the vegetation, taking its depar- 
ture from the same point, has led by degrees to the same 
results, and presents at the time at which we find it again 
the same characteristics as in the heart of our Continent 
