16 



THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



preadamic ages than as members of the community of 

 creatures characteristic of the epoch in which we live. 



This extensive range of seas I purpose to regard 

 as comprehending six provinces, since within them 

 we can fairly reckon so many distinct centres of 

 creation. The first and northernmost is the Arctic 

 province, extending throughout that portion of the 

 European seas included within the Arctic Circle. 

 The second is the Boreal province, including the 

 seas which wash the shores of Norway, Iceland, 

 the Faroe, and the Zetland Isles. The third is 

 the Celtic province, in which rank the British seas, 

 the Baltic, and the shores of the continent from 

 Bohuslan to the Bay of Biscay. The Lusitanian 

 province includes the Atlantic coasts of the Penin- 

 sula. The Mediterranean province speaks its 

 own explanation ; the Black Sea is included in it. 

 Lastly, the Caspian is a region now completely 

 isolated from all the others. 



Of these the four first named and the last are 

 unquestionably distinct centres of creation ; the 

 Mediterranean and its dependencies are not so cer- 

 tainly entitled to that rank, and may possibly prove 

 to be a chain of offsets from the Lusitanian area, 

 just as the Baltic is of the Celtic, or the White Sea 

 of the Arctic province. At the same time there is 

 much to be said in favour of the more dignified 

 view of the zoological importance of the great cen- 

 tral sea ; so much, that I will waive my prejudices 

 against it, and treat it as an independent state. 



