Fig. 12.—Map of Europe, indicating the parts which were probably submerged (shaded) at the commencement of the Glacial period. The light portions represent, approximately, the extent of the land at that time.
The Woodland Reindeer persisted in continental Europe until comparatively recent times, and it has since made its way into Scandinavia across Northern Russia, and probably mingled with the older stock of the Barren-ground form. In the same way, it may have come about that in the English pleistocene deposits the remains of the two races occur.
In a recent contribution to our knowledge of the deer tribe (c, p. 88), Mr. Lydekker suggests that the former division of the Reindeer races into the two forms of Woodland and Barren-ground Caribou, no longer holds good. He now recognises no less than six races, as follows:—
- Rangifer tarandus typicus.
- ""spitzbergensis.
- ""caribou.
- ""terræ-novæ.
- ""grœnlandicus.
- ""arcticus.
I hardly think these can be considered of equal value; indeed, though there may be differences between R. grœnlandicus, typicus, arcticus, and spitzbergensis, the antlers exhibit a certain much closer relationship among one another than to R. terræ-novæ and caribou. But the whole subject is by no means as well known as could be wished, and a very careful comparative study of recent and fossil remains of the Reindeer from various parts of the Old and New Worlds is much needed to put our views on a firmer basis.
The presence of the Arctic Hare in Ireland and the absence of the common European Hare (Lepus europæus) can be explained in a somewhat similar manner. The Arctic Hare is the older of the two species—corresponding with the Barren-ground Reindeer—and the European Hare the newer one, associating, like the Woodland Reindeer, in its westward migration with Siberian animals, though probably of Oriental origin.
Let us once more refer back again to the map on page [137] indicating the geographical distribution of the Arctic Hare. Its discontinuous range and its isolated position in the Alps, Pyrenees, and the Japanese mountains, all tend to show that it is an ancient species. Moreover, its presence in Ireland in the plain as well as in the mountains, clearly points to the fact that, in the British Islands at any rate, the Arctic Hare was the first comer, and that subsequently the European Hare invaded these countries. It probably found Ireland then no longer accessible, having since become separated from England. Again and again do we find the statement repeated, that the presence of the Arctic Hare in Europe is a clear proof of the former prevalence in our continent of an Arctic climate. But if so, why should this Hare at present live and thrive in Ireland, which has a particularly mild climate in winter, and be absent from so many continental stations where the temperature more resembles that of its native home? If we suppose that the European Hare migrated to Europe from the east, after the Arctic Hare had become established in Western Europe, and drove the latter into the mountains or northward whenever the two came into contact, we should have, it seems to me, a better explanation of the range presented by the two species. I was formerly of opinion that the European Hare had come with the Siberian animals from Siberia, but it appears to me more likely now, that it reached our continent with the Oriental migrants, and only then joined the Siberians in Eastern Europe.
The evidence in favour of a former land-connection between Scandinavia and Greenland, rests on many other facts besides those already brought forward. That some form of land-connection formerly existed between Europe and Greenland is now indeed almost universally accepted. That it was situated more to the south between Scotland and Greenland is a supposition which has been actively supported by many leading authorities, but it seems to me that if such a land-bridge existed, it must have been in very early Tertiary times, whilst the northern one, such as I have indicated, may have originated later and persisted until a recent geological date.