58 UNITY OF SYSTEM. 



the Tertiary and Post-tertiary epochs. The third and last age of vegetable 

 life, that of Dicotylidonous plants or our common trees and flowers, began 

 just before the age of Mammalia. The Mollusca, Fishes, and Reptiles, 

 with a very few kinds of edentate Mammalia, passed away with the Reptile 

 age and with the cretaceous period, and new species of these tribes were 

 created with the Mammalia. The revolution at the end of the cretaceous 

 period was the most universal on record; and nearly all, or perhaps quite 

 all the then existing species were exterminated. 



The second great period of the animal kingdom, and the dawn of the 

 present order of creation now commenced. The diversity of climates began 

 with the age of Mammalia, but they were warmer than they now are 

 during the first half of that age. The four great divisions of Mammalia 

 each had their day in succession, and also their degradation previous to 

 the creation of man; and to each was assigned a part of the world for 

 its pre-eminence, and where it still continues to exist. Thus the Marsupials 

 once flourished in New Holland, where there are Marsupials still, but of 

 lesser size. The past and present fauna and flora of Australia and of New 

 Zealand represent the furassic period of Europe in early time, the present 

 era affording Trigonias, Terebratulse, Cestraceous Fishes, and the Araucanian 

 Coniferae — all furassic types, besides Kangaroos and Moas. 



In like manner, the Edentata have dwindled in South America, for in 

 that country, which, in the last age before man, produced the giant 

 Megatherium and Glyptodon, and other related 1 Edentata, there fare now 

 the small Sloths, Armadillos, and Ant-eaters. The Herbivora, which 

 inhabited fit also, passed away with the Megatherium. North America 

 was chiefly tenanted by the Herbivora; and among the large Mammalia 

 which had possession of the renewed world after the life of the cretaceous 

 period had been swept away, the largest, as far as has been ascertained, 

 lived on that continent. The Palaeotheria of the Paris basin were but 

 half the size of those of the Nibruska. The Buffalo had now become the 

 successor to the huge Mastodon, Elephant, and Bootherium; the small Beaver 

 to the great Casteroides, and the existing Carnivora are all comparatively small. 



The Carnivora, or most perfect class of all, especially possessed the Old 

 World. The gigantic Lion, Tiger, Hyaena, Elephant, and other such 

 quadrupeds, have now their very inferior representatives, and are also 

 restrained within comparatively narrow limits, for they formerly (that is, 

 in the Post- tertiary time,) were ( spread over the whole of Europe, and 

 extended to the most northern part of Asia. The ancient species of 

 Carnivora, in size and ferocity, far exceeded the largest of modern Lions 

 and Tigers, Thus Australia, as regards its Mammalia, is a degraded 

 country in comparison with South America; South America is degraded 

 when compared to North America; and the latter is inferior when com- 



