THE FOSSIL ANIMALS OF THE FAYUM 



this region were of Upper Eocene and of Miocene 

 age, and from them Dr. Andrews brought home 

 some very interesting bones. These included 

 remains of a more primitive mastodon than any 

 as yet known and of an animal which he called 

 Meritherium (after Lake Meris) — which is the 

 connecting link between elephants and the 

 central typidentate mammals. But the col- 

 lection included also remains of great carnivores, 

 of Hyrax of great size (like the Syrian coney), of 

 Sea-cows (Sirenians), and of Tortoises, and a 

 Snake sixty feet long. The Egyptian Survey 

 has since in the most enthusiastic way sent 

 further expeditions into this desert to collect 

 the bones of the extinct animals half-buried 

 there, and Dr. Andrews, by the direction of the 

 Trustees of the British Museum and further 

 assisted by a generous donation from Mr. 

 de Winton, has twice again in succeeding years 

 camped out in the desert and excavated the 

 sands by the aid of a troop of native diggers. 



In regard to the history of elephants, the 

 upshot of Dr. Andrews' most important dis- 

 coveries is that we find living here in the Upper 

 Eocene period (older than the German or 

 French Miocene with its Tetrabelodon) an 



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