Animals Before Man 



mountain system, then containing ranges higher 

 than the Alps, while changes almost equally 

 great took place in other portions of the world. 

 And this geological revolution, as it has been 

 termed, brought in its train an equally great 

 change in plant and animal life. Through the 

 action of forces at work for millions of years 

 and finally culminating in this mighty uplift 

 the dry land had arisen, in due time to be pop- 

 ulated by new races while the older j)erished. 

 But we must not imagine that these transforma- 

 tions took place as do those we see upon the 

 stage — that in one vast convulsion the earth 

 arose from the sea and that the animals came 

 walking in to take possession — we must pic- 

 ture to ourselves a march of events so slow 

 in the main that had man been a spectator he 

 would not have known they were taking j)lace. 



112 



