PAST GEOGRAPHICAL MUTATIONS 15 



level of several hundreds of feet irrespective of any 

 land movement whatever. 



To whatever cause, however, we may ascribe it, the 

 British area at the close of the Glacial Epoch appeared 

 to have stood at least 300 feet higher than it does at 

 the present time, or the sea was depressed to that 

 extent. The coast-line of the British area at that period 

 would, generally speaking, correspond at least with the 

 contour of 50 fathoms, but the land surface may possibly 

 have been even more extensive. Indeed such eminent 

 authorities as Lyell, Godwin-Austen, and Professor 

 Geikie fix the coast-line of this period at the lOO-fathom 

 contour, which would go far to suggest that the land 

 area of this portion of Western Europe was as extensive 

 at the close of the Glacial Epoch as during the later 

 stages of that era. As Professor Geikie remarks : " In 

 short there was a return of those geographical conditions 

 which we have every reason to believe characterized 

 certain Inter-glacial epochs." It seems much more 

 reasonable to suppose, however, that these geographical 

 conditions had endured to a very great extent, as we 

 have already seen that the great submergence hypo- 

 thesis cannot be supported by any reliable evidence. 

 Whatever was the exact contour, we may be pretty 

 certain that the coast-line of West Europe during early 

 Post-GIacial time was outside our islands. Terrestrial 

 conditions during this period were remarkably favour- 

 able for the emigration to our area of the fauna and 

 flora which had not been exterminated by the preceding 

 glacial period, or such portion of them as had survived 

 its rigours, or were able to return. We picture the 

 North Sea as a broad undulating plain once more, 



