94 THE WANDERINGS OF ANIMALS [CH. 



broad belt across temperate and cold North America, 

 with several other species ill the north-east. The 

 other genus is Umbra, with one species in Hungary, 

 the other in North-East America. 



CiMidae, a numerous family of freshwater fishes, 

 Avith many kinds in tropical America and the whole 

 of Africa, with Madagascar, and only three species in 

 South India and Ceylon. 



Characinidae, an ancient freshwater family, with 

 many species in tropical America, excluding Antilles, 

 and tropical Africa including the whole Nile, but 

 excluding Madagascar for which they were too late 

 in their progress from America through Africa. 



Cyprmidae : carp, minnow, tench, bream, barbel, 

 etc. ; the majority of the freshwater fishes of the 

 northern hemisphere. The distribution of the family 

 is most important, namely over the whole of Arcto- 

 gaea; absent from South America, Madagascar, 

 Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. According 

 to Boulenger the Cyprinids originated from the Chara- 

 cinids as a northern offshoot in North American 

 Eocene, whence they spread into Eurasia at least 

 during the Upper Eocene ; with the Miocene they 

 reached India and then Africa, checking thereby the 

 eastward spreading of their older cousins, the Chara- 

 cinids. This assumed spreading from North America 

 by Asia to India and Africa is an example which is 

 applicable also to other orders and classes of animals. 



