There are, however, in the above list of Ellesmerelaiid relicts four species 
which are different from the others in their propragation — as far as known at 
present. These are Equisetum variegatum, only found sterile, Pyrola rotundifolia 
and Dupontia Fisheri, only found flowering at so late a period that they could 
liardly reach to ripen their seeds, and Cnrdamine pratensis. The first may perhaps 
produce spores sometimes, even if it has as yet not been found in that state 
anywhere in the whole Archipelago, and the two following may flower earlier some- 
times, if not they are to be looked upon as species in extinctiou, only able to hold 
tbeir ground where they have been introduced during a more favourable period. 
With Cardamine it is different; it possesses a rather effective mode of propagation 
in its gernmuliferous leaflets, but as a waterplaiit it encounters consjderable difficul- 
ties in spreading from one station to another. I am therefore inclined to look upon 
it as introduced to its piesent localities at a lime when it could still fruit normally. 
That true waterplants are so extremely rare — only two more are found in Elles- 
mereland, namely Flettropogon Sahinei and Ranunctilus hyperhorens, and in the soutfi 
only Hippuris is added — must be explained as due to the difficulty with which 
they spread from island to island. Pleuropogon, however, has its panicle above 
water and may occasionaliy get its seeds or whole spikelets blown over the channels 
in winter. Ranunculus hyperhoreus geiierally only has vegetative propagation, but 
sometimes fruit, produced from submerse flowers, is found, and birds may perhaps 
occasionaliy act as conveyors of the achenes. 
Such plants as Polygonum viviparum, Saxi/raga cernua, S. stellaris, and S. 
fiagellaris, I can, for my part, not look upon as relicts, even if they have, in the 
northern islands at least, entirely lost the power of seeding; the gemmulae of the 
three first, as well as the daughter-rosules of the latter, are as well adapted for 
even longer träns portatiou as the seeds of raany fruiting species. Consequently the 
absence of seed does not impair their possibihties of spreading, they are more of 
less commonly distributed, and perfectly adapted for the conditions the live under. 
Nearly connected with the rehct problem is another question, viz.: is the tiora 
of the Arctic Archipelago diminishing in number of species, or should it be looked 
upon as stabile, or may it perhaps be still reciuited by immigrants from the soutb ? 
When the relict species, just now discussed, are considered. the first alteriiative 
may seem the most plausible, but even if similar cases may perhaps be found to 
exist in other parts farther south also, I do not think we ought to look upon the 
whole flora, nor even on any considerable part of it as retreating. Even if a general 
deterioration of the climate is taking place from some unknown cause, it is counter- 
acted, as far as the vegetation is concerned, by the rising of the land and the 
increasing Continental climate that must follow the gradual retrenchment of channels 
and fjords. For the auimals and with them the former eskimo population the 
warmer nummers caused by the emerging of new^ areas of land have not been of 
the same significance, on the contrary the general sinking of the mean annual 
temperature and the narrowiug of the waterways have jointly driven theni away, 
