]4S 



HARDWICKE'S SCI E N CE-GO S S IP. 



the whole records of geology can bring forth a 

 reptile more peculiar, or built on a huger scale, 

 than this. Associated with it are the remains of 

 several species of crocodiles, which then, as now, 

 lived in Indian rivers. The Giraffe, Camel, &c, 

 were then Indian mammals, although they are now 

 limited to Africa. In North America you may find 

 other strata of Miocene age, as in Virginia, Ne- 

 braska, l%c. Most remarkable are the fossil remains 

 of animals which afterwards became extinct ; as, 

 for instance, the Horse, Ox, &c. These active 

 creatures swarmed over American plains at the time 

 I am speaking of, just as the Bisons and "Wild Horse 

 now do further south. But the latter have thus 

 run wild since their introduction by the Spaniards, 

 whereas during the Miocene period they were 

 natives of the New World, and lived on the same 

 areas as Mastodons and Elephants. 



You will have seen that the peculiarity I men- 

 tioned earlier in my story as to the chief feature 

 of the Miocene flora being its extended geographical 

 distribution since it grew so luxuriantly in Europe, 

 applies almost equally to the animals. It seems so 

 strange to imagine native horses and elephants in 

 America, and native monkeys and tapirs in England ! 

 But I am speaking of facts about which there can 

 be no possibility of mistake. I have only briefly 

 glanced at the chief vital features of this interest- 

 ing epoch, but my hearers will admit the world 

 was then anything but a desert, although its most 

 highly-endowed tenant — that which then occupied 

 the place now maintained by man — was only a long- 

 armed monkey! 



The familiarity of the animal and vegetable types 

 of the Miocene epoch, and their great resemblance 

 to, if not identity with, species now living, will 

 cause you to think that it was not so far removed 

 in time as it really was. It is only when your 

 attention is drawn to the physical changes which 

 have gone on since then that you grasp the 

 idea of unlimited time more fully. Great moun- 

 tains have been upheaved from the sea-bottom, 

 and continents depressed to form sea-beds, since 

 the events occurred which I have been describing. 

 It was a period when volcanoes were active in 

 Great Britain, and when, in Central Prance, they 

 threw up great cones of ashes, lava, and scoria, 

 equal in height to Vesuvius or Etna ! The Alps, 

 Pyrenees, Himalayas, Andes, and other great moun- 

 tain-chains, were then either not elevated at all, or 

 much below their present loftiness. The area of 

 the Swiss fresh-water lakes and of the dense Mio- 

 cene forests became gradually depressed, until it 

 was a sea-bed, tenanted by hosts of marine mol- 

 lusca, fish, cetaceans, &c. This great change took 

 place even within Miocene times, for the marine 

 deposits just mentioned belong to the uppermost 

 division of the formation. I cannot speak of the 

 great changes which subsequently swept over the 



northern hemisphere, of the formation of the great 

 Arctic ice-cap, which spread over temperate lati- 

 tudes, and drove animals and plants as from another 

 violated Eden, this way and that, until they ulti- 

 mately occupied their present habitats ! All this 

 is matter of fact, as well as matter of geological 

 history; but a poor piece "of Lignite cannot be sup- 

 posed to remember everything that took place since 

 it was born ! 



"MABCO POLO" OPOSSUM. 



/"iUR range of pets here in England is generally 

 ^-^ very limited. Our cats and dogs, squirrels, 

 dormice, guinea-pigs and rabbits, meet us over and 

 over again at almost every country home. But once 

 I had a real stranger, common enough in his own 

 country, but not often domesticated in this — " Marco 

 Polo," an Australian opossum. Not really an opos- 

 sum, that term is properly confined to the American 

 opossums. My opossum was a "vulpine phalangist,' * 

 but " opossum " is certainly the name by which he 

 and his very numerous relations are known in 

 Australia. 



A few years ago a friend returning from a short 

 stay in Australia brought home with him a fine 

 opossum and a piping-crow : the former was pre- 

 sented to me, and became my especial darling 

 and my care. I named him Marco Polo, being, 

 as he was, a traveller ; but his early history was 

 not particularly clear. My friend had been stay- 

 ing at Warnumbool and had there procured 

 three nice little opossums, ready to take back to 

 Melbourne, and so home. These little creatures 

 he placed in an empty garret ; their propensity 

 for eating up all things within reach had been 

 well considered, and everything but suitable food 

 carefully removed. The games of these little 

 fellows were very entertaining to watch ; and one 

 evening after witnessing the performance as usual, 

 my friend most unluckily left behind him a box of sul- 

 phur matches. The next morning all three animals 

 were found to be seriously ill, and the matches 

 had disappeared. One opossum alone recovered, 

 was taken to Melbourne, and let loose in a com- 

 fortable wire habitation at one of the hospitals where 

 my friend was staying with the principal surgeon. 

 The day came for the commencement of the voyage. 

 The crow was packed in a hutch, and another hutch, 

 a very small one, was destined for the opossum. It 

 was placed in the large enclosure and my friend and 

 the doctor stood waiting to see him enter it, being 

 both a little nervous of touching the animal. Vain 

 hope. Master 'possum was not quite so green as all 

 that. The cab had come, the luggage and the crow 

 had been hoisted up, not a moment longer must be 

 delayed ; with real regret must I relate it, but my 

 friend, who had doubted the kindly nature of the in- 



