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puesident’s address. 
not adduce from the scantier series of facts at our command some 
reasons for assuming that the Xorth Polar area was tlie “ Mother 
Earth ” of a portion at least of our present terrestrial animal life. 
In prosecuting this line of argument we are at once brought face to 
face with the fact that, so far, our researches in the Polar area 
liave not brought to light any Miocene or Pliocene formations that 
contain remains of vertebrate fauna. Such negative evidence is 
probably due to the paucity of our explorations. It seems to mo 
that most important and valuable results must accrue from a 
scientific investigation of the fossil vertebrate remains which we 
know are deposited in wonderful profusion in the New Siberian 
Islands, in the Arctic area. The discovery of a fossil twig of Pinus 
ahies, in Grinnell Land, enabled Heer to demonstrate with certainty 
that the tree had its origin at the North Pole, and extended itself 
to the temperate zone. The discovery of some unexpected fossil 
form in the New Siberian Islands may throw an equal light on the 
southward distribution of animals. 
The researches of Heer and Saporta show that a considerable 
proportion of the existing flora of the earth had its prototypes, and 
in some instances the actual species, growing in the Polar area 
during Miocene times, when at the same time such species had not 
then invaded the north temjjerate zone. It is therefore a reasonable 
surmise, that the same laws which guided the migration toAvards 
the Equator of vegetable forms equally affected terrestrial animal 
life. The only actual basis of fact that at present wo have at our 
command is, that certain mammalian forms, not at present 
inhabiting the temperate zone, are arctic and circumpolar in their 
distribution, except when in recent geological times they invaded 
parts of the present temperate zone, under climatic conditions 
similar to those now existing in the Polar regions, and have 
presumably travelled northwards again with the recession of the 
Glacial episode, or, like our Alpine Hare, have been stranded as it 
were, by geographical causes. I allude, particularly, to such 
terrestrial forms as the Polar Pear, the Arctic Fox, the Ermine, 
the Arctic Hare, the Musk-Sheep, and lleindeer. Wo may 
reasonably argue that the Llusk-Sheep, for instance, did not 
