72 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
marked by a recession of the Arctic fauna and flora northwards, 
and of a fauna and flora of the Mediterranean type southwards, 
and in the interspace thus produced there appeared on land the 
general Germanic fauna and flora, and in the sea that fauna 
which is termed Celtic. 
(7) All the changes before, during and after the glacial 
epoch appear to have been gradual and not sudden, so that 
no marked lime of demarkation can be drawn between the 
creatures inhabiting the same element and the same locality. 
during two proximate periods.” 
I have omitted some of his conclusions which can no 
longer: be regarded as based on fact: others require some 
modification. Much has been found out durmg the last 
seventy years, and it is not surprising if some of Forbes’ 
briliant and far-reaching speculations have proved incorrect 
or incomplete. For example, the three southern sub-floras 
of Forbes, in place of bemg the oldest as he supposed, we now 
know must have been the most recent; and it is now very 
doubtful to what extent they migrated over continental land 
now submerged, as he supposed, or were not rather carried 
by birds, currents or other natural agencies. 
But while admitting some such imperfections due to the 
scanty knowledge of that day, we must recognise that this 
was a notable contribution to the theory of distribution, far 
in advance of anything known at the time. It practically 
opened up a fresh field of investigation, and proved to be the 
starting point and stimulus of much subsequent research. 
There are many of his writings, and of his lectures, which 
I have no space to refer to—though all have their points of 
interest. Take this, for example :—In 1847, he writes to a 
friend, “ On Friday night I lectured at the Royal Institution. 
The subject was the bearing of submarine researches and 
distribution matters on the fishery question. I pitched into 
Government mismanagement pretty strong, and made a fair 
