have been seen in Lapland or Iceland,* or other eastern parts of that circle."+ Of the dipterous tribes we shall here mention only the Chironomus polaris of Kirby. The body is of a deep black, somewhat hairy: The antennæ are plumose. The wings are rather shorter than the body, of a milky hue, with prismatic reflections, and the marginal nervures black. The abdomen is slender and hairy. This species seems allied to the Tipulu stercoraria of De Geer, but exceeds it by twice the size. Along with Ctenophora Parrii it may be said to replace the Culices or gnats which prove so troublesome to navigators and travellers up to a certain high latitude. The species of the genus Chironomus, more especially, are often seen in our own country dancing in the sunbeams even during the depth of winter, when Culex is benumbed; and it was therefore to be expected, a priori, that the former would occupy a higher range, and approach nearer the pole than the latter. On the last day of Captain Parry's attempt to reach the North Pole over the ice, a species of Aphis was found in lat. 82° 26' 44", about 100 miles from the nearest known land. This may be considered as the extreme northern boundary of insect life. A small spider was seen in great abundance in Melville Island, running on the ground, as well as on various plants, and leaping when alarmed. Mr. Kirby had an opportunity of examining only a single specimen, which was so defective from injury that he could not name with certainty the genus to which it belonged; but from its leaping propensities it was inferred to belong to Salticus of Latreille. To whatever genus it pertains, the specific name of Melvillensis is now bestowed upon it. Mr. Scoresby brought a few insects from the east coast of West Greenland. Among these were two butterflies, Papilio palano, Linn. (Faun. suec. 1041), and Papilio dia, Linn. (Fab. Mant. ins. ii. p. 61, n. 581). Both of these were enumerated for the first time as productions of Greenland in the account of his voyage; for the only butterfly * Hooker's Recollections of Iceland, 1st edition, p. 34. p. 217. ↑ Supplement to the Appendix to Captain Parry's First Voyage, Narrative of an Attempt to reach the North Pole in Boats, met with on either coast by Fabricius was the Papilio Tullia of Muller.* The entomology of the northern portions of the mainland of America is as yet known only through a few vague and superficial notices, from which we can deduce no positive results, and with which we therefore deem it unnecessary to trouble the reader. We expect ere long a valuable contribution on the subject from the skilful pen of Mr, Kirby.† CHAPTER IX. Characteristic Features in the Botany of the Northern Regions of America. Mr. Brown's Observations on the relative Proportions of the two great Divisions of Phænogamous Plants-Beautiful small Willow from East Greenland-Notices of the more remarkable Species collected by Dr. Richardson-Galium Tinctorium--Cornus Alba-Phlox Hoodii-Viburnum Edule-Azalea Nudicaulis-Lilium Philadelphicum-Epilobium Angustifolium-Ledum latifolium-L. Palustre-Prunus Virgi niana-Pyrus Ovalis-Crepis Nana-Cineraria Congesta-Pinus Nigra -P. Alba-P. Banksiana-P. Microcarpa-L. Lambertiana-Empetrum Nigrum-Myrica Gale-Populus Trepida-Populus Balsamifera -Juniperus Prostrata-Splachnum Mnioides-Dicranum Elongatum -Gyrophora proboscidea-Hyperborea Pennsylvanica, Mecklenbergii, vellea-Cetraria Richardsonii-Fucus Ceranoides-Difficulties in the Determination of Arctic Species-Plants recently introduced to the British Gardens-Lathyrus Decaphyllus-Eutoca Franklinii-Lupinus Littoralis-Clarkia Puchella-Gerardia Capitata--New Dodecatheon -Andromeda Tetragona-Menziesia Empetrifolia-Azalea Lapponica -Dryas Drummondia. ALTHOUGH, as a subject of scientific and philosophical investigation, botany yields in interest to none of the other branches of natural history, and although a great poet and profound observer of nature has asserted that "To him the meanest flower that blows can give * Scoresby's Journal of a Voyage to the Northern Whale-Fishery, p. 424. The third volume of Dr. Richardson's Fauna Boreali-Americana, now in preparation, will contain a few notices of Serpents, a description of the Fishes, an account of the Insects (by Mr. Kirby), and a list of Testacea. yet, owing to the extension which we have assigned to the zoological department, our space we fear will scarcely suffice for more than a cursory sketch, even with the total exclusion of all lachrymose affection. Several of our best botanists have, of late years, devoted a portion of their attention to the flora of the Northern Regions of America; but the subject has as yet made little progress beyond the indispensable preliminary of correct, though probably not yet completed, catalogues of certain districts. From these it is scarcely possible at present to select any such general features as would interest the majority of our readers; but we shall in the mean while indicate the sources from which those who incline to investigate this branch of science may derive the most ample and accurate information. A list of plants, collected in Melville Island by the officers of the first Polar voyage, has been published by Mr. Brown, with characters and descriptions of the new species.* This account was made up from the herbaria of Captain Sabine, Mr. Edwards, Mr. James Ross, Captain Parry, Mr. Fisher, and Mr. Beverley, whose names are here given in the order of the extent of their collections. Great difficulty was experienced by Mr. Brown in determining many of the species, either from their extremely variable character or the incom plete condition of the specimens, and occasionally also from the want of authentic individuals of an identical or analogous nature from other countries, with which the recent acquisitions might be compared. The plan originally followed by the great Scotch botanist in the preparation of his list was more extensive than that finally executed. It included remarks on the state and relative proportions of the primary divisions and natural orders to which these northern plants pertained-a comparison of that hyperborean vegetation with the productions of nearly similar climates-and observations on the range of such species as were ascertained to be common to Melville Island and other parts of the world. Towards the completion of that plan he had made considerable progress; but he found eventually that to have satisfactorily developed some of the subjects just named, would not only have required more time than he had then in his * Supplement to the Appendix to Captain Parry's First Voyage, London, 1824. power to bestow, but also a more ample stock of materials than was at that period within his reach. If then so skilful an observer was unable to exhibit any general views on the subject, we hold ourselves to stand excused for their absence from this department of our present publication. In the list referred to the reader will find descriptions of several new or imperfectly-known genera and species, with admirable illustrative engravings from the unrivalled pencil of Mr. Bauer. In Mr. Brown's earliest observations on the interesting subject of the relative proportions of the two primary divisions of phænogamous plants, he had arrived at the conclusion, that from 45° as far as 60°, or perhaps 65° of north latitude, the proportion of dicotyledonous to monocotyledonous plants gradually diminished.* From a subsequent consideration, however, of the list of Greenland plants given by Professor Geisecke,† as well as from what he had been able elsewhere to collect, regarding the vegetation of alpine regions, he had supposed it not improbable that in still higher latitudes, and at corresponding heights above the level of the sea, the relative numbers of these two divisions were again inverted ;‡-in the list of Greenland plants just referred to, dicotyledones being to monocotyledones as four to one, or in nearly the equinoctial ratio; and in the vegetation of Spitzbergen, as far as it could be judged of from the materials hitherto collected, the proportion of dicotyledones appearing to be still further increased. This inversion in the cases now mentioned was found to depend at least as much on the reduction of the proportion of gramineæ, as on the increase of certain dicotyledonous families, especially saxifrages and cruciferæ. "The flora of Melville Island, however, which, as far as relates to the two primary divisions of phænogamous plants, is probably as much to be depended on as any local catalogue hitherto published, leads to very different conclusions-dicotyledones being in the present list to monocotyledones as five to two, or in as low a ratio as has been anywhere yet observed; while the proportion of grasses, instead of being reduced, is nearly double what has been found in any other part of the world *Flinders' Voyage, ii. p. 538. † Article Greenland, in Brewster's Encyclopædia. (see Humboldt in Dict. des Sciences Nat. tom. 18, table at p. 416), this family forming one-fifth of the whole phænogamous vegetation."* Prior to the publication of the list, from the prefatory remarks to which the preceding is an extract, a short catalogue of plants collected on the east coast of Greenland was published by Mr. Scoresby, with some remarks by Dr. Hooker. The female catkins of a willow, allied to Salix arenaria of Smith, are described as extremely beautiful, owing to the fine contrast between their almost black scales and the pure silky whiteness of their germens. This was the only arborous plant met with by Mr. Scoresby. Its mode of growth was singular; for although it expanded to the extent of several feet, it so accommodated itself to the nature of that chilly climate, or was so acted upon by its ungenial influence, that it only spread laterally, and was never observed to rise higher than two or three inches from the ground.‡ In the same year with the preceding, the narrative of Sir John Franklin's first journey, already so often referred to, made its appearance. The appendix to that volume (No. vii. p. 729) contains a list of North American plants by Dr. Richardson, which, however, is not given as containing any thing like a full catalogue of the flora of the district through which the expedition travelled. During their summer journeys only a small portion of time could be allotted to botanical researches, and the constant and more important duties of the officers prevented their aiding the doctor at all times in the collection of specimens as sedulously as they inclined to do. Under unavoidable circumstances of a very harassing nature, a large proportion of plants may well be supposed to have escaped their notice; and the disastrous incidents attending their homeward journey across the Barren Grounds, from the shores of the Arctic Sea, forced them to leave behind the entire col * Supplement of the Appendix to Captain Parry's First Voyage, p. 262. † Journal of a Voyage to the Northern Whale-fishery, Appendix, No ii. p. 410. In connexion with the last-named work the reader may also consult a Catalogue of Plants collected by William Jameson, Esq., surgeon, on the west coast of Greenland, drawn up by Dr. Greville, and published in the Memoirs of the Wernerian Society, vol. iii. p. 426. |