36 Dr. E. C. A^. van Hoepen 



asserted. It would appear that the occurrence of food is an 

 important factor in the distribution of this animal. 



Although the Mesosauridae have only been found in fresh 

 water deposits in Africa and South America, it is not impossible 

 that they could live in sea water too. Our knowledge of these 

 animals is so scanty that it should be regarded as at least unsafe 

 to use their distribution as proof of land connections. 



A strong argument in favour of a land connection between 

 Africa and Eurasia is the dispersal of the Proboscidea. These 

 have originated in the early Tertiaries of Africa and they have 

 dispersed in the later Tertiaries over the northern continents. 

 Tliere must, therefore, have been some connection between Africa 

 and Europe during late 1 ertiary times. 



In conclusion I wish to draw attention to an elaborate paper 

 by Doctor W. D. Matthew of the American Museum, on 

 Climate and Evolution, published in the Annals of the New York 

 Academy of Sciences, Vol. XXIV., 1915, and to an article by 

 Professor Stromer von Reichenbach recently published in the 

 Geographische Zeitschrift on " Methoden palaogeographischer 

 Forschung, erliiutert an dem Beispiele einstiger Landverbindungen 

 des afrikanischen Festlandes." I have read both papers with the 

 greatest satisfaction and feel convinced that anybody who has 

 read them carefully will banish hypotheses on land connections be- 

 tween Africa and India, South America and Australia into the 

 land of myths. 



