A NEW FOSSIL FIG 



83 



tain figs now living in ^lexico and the 

 West Indies. 



A glance at Figure 2, which is en- 

 larged to twice the natural size, will 

 show the characteristic incurved apex 

 of the figs. The shape, striations, and 

 method of attachment also indicate the 

 relation of the fruits of the figs. 



passing from the great past to the pres- 

 ent. It is the period during which more 

 than six or eight million square miles of 

 the earth's surface which had previous- 

 ly been enjoying a mild climate was 

 covered with immense glaciers. Esti- 

 mates as to how long ago this period 

 closed vary in round numbers from 



The interglacial fig — as it ma}- be 

 called, the scientific name being Ficits iii- 

 terglacialis Hollick — is not so old as the 

 ones, described from the Tertiary. As 

 lias been stated it grew during the Ple- 

 istocene period which is the last step in 



about ten to fifty tlibusand years. 



Aside from its being a new species the 

 interglacial fig is invested with addition- 

 al interest due to its climatic significance. 

 A well defined specimen of the genus 

 Fiats would. Dr. Hollick states, be re- 



