T l E R i i A D E L I ' l 'E O O . June, 1834.
consequence of the elevation of tlie land, of wliicli proofs have
lately been brouglit to ligiit.*
In a former part of this volume, I have endeavoured
to prove, that as far as regards the quantity of food,
tliere is no difficulty in supposing that tliese large quadrupeds
iniialiited sterile regions, producing hut a scanty
vegetation. AAhtli respect to temperature, the woolly covering
both of the elephant and tlie rhinoceros seems at
once to render it at least probable (although it has been
argued that some animals living in the hottest regions are
thicidy clothed) that tliey were fitted for a cold climate.
I suppose no reason can be assigned why, duriug a former
epoch, when the pachydermata abounded over the greater
part of the world, some species should not have been fitted
for the northern regions, precisely as now happens with
deer and several other animals.! if? then, we believe that
the climate of Siberia, anteriorly to tiie pliysical changes
above alluded to, had some resemblance with that of the
southern hemisphere at the present day—a circumstance
which harmonizes well with other facts,! as I think has
* tV ra n g e l’s Vo y ag e in th e I c y S e a in th e y e a rs 1821, 1822, a n d 1823.
E d i te d b y P ro fe s so r P a r ro t , o f D o rp a t, B e rlin , 1826.
! D r . F lem in g first b ro u g h t th is n o tio n fo rw a rd in tw o p a p e rs p u b -
lis lie d in th e E d in b u rg h P h ilo s o p h . J o u rn . (A p r il , 1829, a n d J a n . 183 0 ).
H e a d d u c e s th e ca se o f a llie d sp e cie s o f th e b e a r, fox, h a re , a n d ox , liv in g
u n d e r w id e ly d iff e re n t c lim ate s ,
! S in c e w r itin g th e ab o v e , I h a v e b e e n m u ch in te r e s te d b y re a d in g a n
a c c o u n t b y P ro fe s s o r E sm a rk , w h ic h p ro v e s t h a t fo rm e rly , g lac ie rs in
N o rw ay d e sc e n d e d to a low e r a ltitu d e th a n a t p r e s e n t ; a n d th e re fo re ,
t h a t th e y c am e d ow n to th e le v e l o f th e se a in a low e r l a titu d e . T h is,
a c co rd in g to g e n e ra lly -re c e iv ed id eas, w o u ld in d ic a te a c o ld e r c lim a te , a n d
so i t was c o n s id e red to d o b y P ro fe s so r E sm a rk ; fo r h e a rg u e s from i t in
fa v o u r o f W h is to n ’s h y p o th e s is , t h a t th e “ e a r th in its a p h e lio n was co v e red
w ith ic e a n d sn ow .” P ro fe s so r E sm a rk d e scrib es a g lac ie r-d ik e , in la t.
5 8 ° 5 7 ) as “ ly in g clo se to th e le v e l o f t h e sea, in a d is tric t, w h e r e y o u find
o n ly a few- h e a p s o f p e rp e tu a l sn ow in th e h o llow s o f th e m o u n ta in s .” H e
says, ” N o t o n ly th e d ik e its e lf, b u t th e w h o le h o r iz o n ta l su rfa c e , e x h ib its
proofs th a t th e r e h a s b e e n a g lac ie r h e ro , fo r th e p la in ex a c tly re sem b le s
June, 1831.
been shown hy the imaginary case, when we transported
existing phenomena from one to the other hemisphere,—tlie
following conclusions may he deduced as jirohahle: First,
that the degree of cold formerly was not excessive ; secondly,
that snow did not for a long time together cover the ground
(such not being the case at the extreme parts 5.5°-5G° of
S. America); thirdly, that the vegetation partook of a more
tropical character than it now does in the same latitudes;
and lastly, that at hut a short distance to the northward of the
country thus circumstanced (even not so far as where Pallas
found the entire rhinoceros), the soil might be perpetually
congealed: so that if the carcass of any animal should once
he buried a few feet beneath the surface, it would be preserved
for centuries.
Both Humboldt# and Lyell have remarked, that at the
present day, the bodies of any animals, wandering beyond
the line of perpetual congelation which extends as far south
as 62°, if once embedded by any accident a few feet beneath the
surface, would be preserved for an indefinite length of tim e :
the same would happen with carcasses drifted hy the rivers ;
and hy such means the extinct mammalia may have been
entombed. There is only one small step wanting, as it appears
to me, and the whole problem would be solved with
a degree of simplicity very striking, compared with the
several theories first invented. From the account given by
th o s e w h ic h I fo u n d a d jo in in g th e g lac ie rs p r e s e n tly e x is tin g b e tw e e n
L o n d fio rd a n d L om b ,” (S e e E d . N ew P h il. J o u rn a l, p . 117, O c to b e r
1826.) T h o s e fac ts affo rd a v e ry s tro n g a n d a dm ir a b le c o n lirm a tio n o f
th e view , t h a t th e c lim a te o f E u ro p e h a s b e e n g r a d u a lly c h a n g in g , from a
c h a ra c te r re s em b lin g th a t o f th e s o u th e rn h em is p h e re , to its p r e s e n t c o n d
itio n . F o r o n th is h y p o th e s is , w c m ig h t h a v e a n tic ip a te d , t h a t p ro o fs
w o u ld h a v e b e e n d isco v e red , th a t g lac ie rs fo rm e rly d e s c e n d e d to a low e r
a lt i tu d e th a n th ey n ow d o ; a n d y e t, t h a t th e o rg a n ic r em a in s o f t h a t
ep o ch , in s te a d o f a fo rm e r p e rio d o f refrig e i-a tio n , w o u ld h a v e in d ic a te d a
c lim a te o f a m o re tro p ic a l c h a ra c te r a c o n c lu s io n , w h ic h m ay b e d e
ducc-d from p la in g eo lo g ical ev id en c e .
* S e e H um b o ld t, F ra gm e n s A s ia tiip ie s , vo l. ii., p p . 3 8 5— D95.