346 TROPICAL NATURE, AND OTHER ESSAYS. 



carnivora ; but none of the higher animals, such as 

 apes, antelopes, buffaloes, rhinoceroses, elephants, lions, 

 leopards, and hyaenas, which swarm on the continent. 

 The separation of Madagascar from Africa must therefore 

 have occurred before these important groups existed there. 

 Now, we know that all these large animals lived in 

 Europe and Asia during late Miocene times, while 

 lemurs are only known there during the Eocene period, 

 and were probably more abundant in late Mesozoic times. 

 It is almost certain, therefore, that Southern Africa 

 must have been cut off from Europe and Asia during 

 the whole intervening period, or the same development 

 of high forms and extinction of low would have gone 

 on in the one country as in the other. The persistence 

 of a number of low and isolated types in South and 

 West Africa, which are probably a remnant of the 

 ancient fauna of the country, is also favourable to this 

 view. At the time we are considering, therefore, we 

 look upon tropical and South Africa, with Madagascar, 

 as forming a completely isolated land or archipelago ; 

 while the Seychelles and Chagos banks, with Bourbon 

 and Mauritius, perhaps, formed another island or group 

 permanently separated from the larger masses. The 

 extra- tropical portion of South Africa was also probably 

 more extensive, affording an area in which its remarkable 

 flora was being developed. ... 



Turning to Australia, we should probably find it, at 

 this remote period, more extensive than it is now, 

 including in its area New Guinea and some of the 

 adjacent islands, as well as Tasmania ; while another 

 extensive land probably occupied the site of the New 

 Zealand group. It may be considered certain that, 



