[Note 12] p. 77.—Food of the Reindeer.
Though the reindeer may eat grasses and aquatic plants, its great resource is the so-called reindeer-moss, which is really a lichen, common on the mountain heights of the interior where the herds pass the winter.
[Note 13] p. 80.—The Phalarope.
Of the Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) and the Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus hyperboreus), both occurring in Britain, Professor Newton says: “A more entrancing sight to the ornithologist can hardly be presented than by either of these species. Their graceful form, their lively coloration, and the confidence with which both are familiarly displayed in their breeding-quarters, can hardly be exaggerated, and it is equally a delightful sight to watch the birds gathering their food in the high—running surf, or, when that is done, peacefully floating outside the breakers.” See also Collett’s Bird Life in Arctic Norway.
[Note 14] p. 84.—Sense of smell and touch.
The somewhat mysterious reference which Brehm makes to a sense between smell and touch is thoroughly justifiable. To the senses of many of the lower animals—and even of fishes—it is exceedingly difficult to apply our fairly definite human conceptions of smell, taste, touch, &c.
[Note 15] p. 85.—Mosquitoes.
This general term covers a large number of species belonging to the gnat genus (Culex). They are very various in size, and are widely distributed from the Tropics to the Poles. Their larvæ are aquatic, and for their abundance the tundra obviously offers every opportunity.
THE ASIATIC STEPPES AND THEIR FAUNA.
See—