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zebra, elephant, hippopotamus and rhinoceros are 

 totally absent and the order is represented by a single 

 rivei' hog, of the African genus potamochoeris, (abun- 

 dant in the island except in the central provinces, 

 R. Baron). 



The bones of a small hippopotamus have been 

 found in the South West of Imerina in a half fossil 

 state. (A year or two ago specimens were again 

 found in South of Ankaratra by Dr. Hildebrandt. 

 They were described by him as belonging to a species 

 of hippotamus identical to the one found at the present 

 day in Western Africa. 



The bones were in a half fossil state, like those 

 found by Grandidier. (R. Baron) Mr Wallace has 

 treated the question of Madagascar mammalia in full 

 detail in his work on the " Distribution of animals " 

 and draws the conclusion that it is likely that the 

 absent types have originated in the false arctic region 

 where most of the genera are found in a fossil state 

 in the rich miocene of France, Germany, Greece and 

 the North West of India ; that they have stopped 

 from spreading southward by the sea that extended 

 in early tertiary times from the Atlantic to the Bay 

 of Bengal ; and that Madagascar must have been 

 isolated before they extended themselves so far in a 

 southern direction. 



