XVIII. 
ANNALES MUSEI NATIONALIS HUNGARICI. 
1920 — 21 . 
THE GLACIAL-THEORIES IN THE LIGHT OF 
BIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION.*) 
By Dr. J. Éhik. 
(Willi 7 figures.) 
The studies dealing with the Glacial periods history contained up 
to now only geological data on this highly interesting subject. These 
geological relations are submitted to considerable variations according 
to the local oscillations of the limits of the ice. The views of the 
authors differ very much with respect to this question, according as the 
results of various studies were arrived to at different localities. I do not 
propose to harmonise these different views, since this would not lead 
to any positive result. 1 intend on the contrary to undertake a special 
examination of the various beds hitherto known as containing quaternary 
fossils, attempting hereby to throw a light upon the history of the 
Glacial period merely from a biological (paleontological) point of view. 
We may accept the fact that the gradually proceeding ice changed 
the fauna and flora, hut the limits of the oscillations did not produce 
any considerable change in the adjacent biospheres. 
A. Nehring was the first to publish important data concerning the 
changes of this period’s fauna and his classical study 1 remains an 
indispensible litterary document of this new biological school. I am not 
able, at present, to enter into more detailed considerations regarding 
this valuable work, 1 shall nevertheless point out the fact that Nehring 
distinguishes three different types of the quaternary fauna comprising the 
sylvicol, the steppe and the tundra elements. As to the chronological 
*) Read before the Speiaeological Section of the Hungarian Geological Society, 
15. May 1920. 
1 A. Nehring, Ueber Tundren und Steppen der Jetzt- und Vorzeit, mit besonderer 
Berücksichtigung ihrer Fauna. Berlin, 1890. 
