Abstract
THE last work by Dr. E. Regel, on the Flora of Central Asia, which has recently appeared in the “Acta Horti Petropolitani” (vol. vii.), gives to Prof. Rehring, of Berlin, the opportunity of discussing the relations between the present flora and fauna of the North-eastern Asiatic Steppes, and the Postglacial flora and fauna of Middle Europe. Prof. Regel, on the ground of his researches in Asia, arrived at the conclusion that out of the species which inhabited Central Asia during postglacial times, very few have migrated towards north-western Asia and to Europe, and that the species now inhabiting this part of Asia have probably immigrated from Europe. The same was the conclusion arrived at several years ago by Dr. Rehring, when he and Dr. Liebe discovered in the Diluvium of Germany (at Westregeln and at Gera), a steppe-fauna much akin to the West Siberian (Dipus jaculus, Arctomys bobac, Spermophilus altaicus, Lagomys pusillus, Equus caballus, &c.), which facts led him to the inference that in post-glacial times middle Germany enjoyed a steppe vegetation and climate. The same steppe fauna has since been discovered at many other places in Germany, so that it may be said that the German diluvium encloses an unmistakable steppe fauna. Dr. Rehring discovers in Dr. Regel's work new proofs in favour of his theory of migration of the diluvial fauna from Europe to Asia, in opposition to the theory of the late Dr. Brandt, who considered North-western Asia as the true fatherland of the European diluvial fauna. We may observe that Dr. Rehring's theory would imply the migration of the German steppe fauna, not only to North-western Siberia, but also to Eastern Siberia, during the post-glacial period, which would involve several important difficulties. We believe that a true theory of the migrations of post-glacial faunas can be established only by taking into account the history of the glacial period in Asia, which history has never investigated.
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Geographical Notes . Nature 26, 139–140 (1882). https://doi.org/10.1038/026139a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/026139a0