312 HISTORICAL PALEONTOLOGY. 
One of the latter, the well-known Vanessa Pluto of the Brown 
Coals of Croatia, even exhibits the pattern of the wing, and to 
Fig. 238.—Different views of Scatella subrotunda, a Miocene “ Cake-Urchin” 
from the south of France. 
some extent its original coloration ; whilst the more durably- 
constructed insects are often in a state of exquisite preser- 
vation. 
The JAZollusca of the Miocene period are very numerous, 
but call for little special comment. Upon the whole, they are 
generically very similar to the Shell-fish of the present day ; 
whilst, as before stated, from fifteen to thirty per cent of the 
species are identical with those now in existence. So far as the 
European area is concerned, the Molluscs indicate a decidedly 
hotter climate than the present one, though they have not such 
a distinctly tropical character as is the case with the Eocene 
shells. Thus we meet with many Cones, Volutes, Cowries, 
Olive-shells, Fig-shells, and the like, which are decidedly 
indicative of a high temperature of the sea. olyzoans are 
abundant, and often attain considerable dimensions; whilst 
Brachiopods, on the other hand, are few in number. Azvalves 
and Unzvalves are extremely plentiful ; and we meet here with 
the shells of Winged -Snails (Pteropods), belonging to such 
existing genera as /yalea (fig. 239) and C/odora. Lastly, 
the Cephalopods are represent- 
ed both by the chambered 
shells of Wautidi and by the 
internal skeletons of Cuttle- 
fishes (Spzrudirostra.) 
Bi ao ge views Ph rhe shell The Fishes of the Miocene 
MR ac Orbignyana, a Mocené period are very abundant, but 
of little special importance. 
Besides the remains of Bony Fishes, we meet in the marine 
deposits of this age with numerous pointed teeth belonging 
to different kinds of Sharks. Some of the genera of these— 
such as Carcharodon (fig. 241), Oxyrhina (fig. 240), Lamna, 
and Galeocerdo—are very widely distributed, ranging through 
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