276 Game of Europe, W. & N. Asia, & America 



of the steppe fauna, of whose former existence in Central Europe evidence 

 is afforded by the occurrence of fossil remains of the saiga, Kirghiz jerboa, 

 and other species now characteristic of the Volga steppes. Another fossil 

 camel has also been described, under the name of Caiuclus knoblochi^ from 

 strata in the neighbourhood of Sarepta, on the Volga, and also at the 

 mouth of the Tscheremschan, in the government of Samara. The number 

 of lower teeth in this camel is apparently the same as in the existing species. 



As members of the steppe fauna, these Rumanian and Russian fossil 

 camels were almost certainly the ancestors of the living Siberian species ; 

 and since the Rumanian species has a larger number of lower teeth than 

 the still older Siwalik camel, it is manifest that the latter cannot have 

 been the progenitor of the Bactrian species. Hence the reason for 

 regarding it as the ancestor of the single-humped camel of Africa. 



The Russian camel-remains, it may be added, were found in association 

 with molars of the mammoth. 



Remains of camels (C. thomas'i) have also been found in the Pleistocene 

 strata of Oran and Ouen Seguen, in Algeria ; and certain remains from the 

 Isle of Samos have recently been assigned to the same genus, although 

 this has been found to be incorrect. The Algerian Pleistocene camel 

 was doubtless the direct ancestor of the living African species, which it 

 serves to connect with the extinct C sivalcnsh. 



With regard to the camels of the Gobi, which, as already mentioned. 

 Dr. Nehring regards as truly wild, it is interesting to note that some 

 years ago Dr. Langkavel described them as being much smaller than 

 the domesticated breed, not, indeed, much superior in size to a horse, 

 with relatively slender limbs. Observations in confirmation of this state- 

 ment are, however, urgently required ; and any travellers who may visit 

 the Gobi neighbourhood would do service to science if they would bring 

 back skins and skeletons of the wild camels. 



' Sec Ncliriiig, Sitziings-Bi-ricl't Grs. luit. Friit-n,h\ Berlin, 1901, p. 137. 



