SUCCESSIVE MAMMALIAN FAUNAS 287 



in the life of the Eocene, but of these only a few fcreodonts 

 continued into the Oligocene and all became extinct without 

 leaving any descendants behind them. Another curious fact 

 concerning the Paleocene mammalian faunas is that they were 

 made up entirely of small and very small animals ; not a single 

 mammal as large as a sheep has yet been found in these beds, 

 and the same is true of Europe. 



That a land-connection with the Old World existed during 

 the Paleocene epoch, is indicated by the similarity of the faunas 

 of North America and Europe. 



