6oo 



GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



Miocene). Of this we ktiow nothing, but it has been suggested that a 

 land-connection with AustraHa would account for the marsupials, that 

 a similar junction with Africa would give monkeys, hystricomorphous 

 rodents and the selenodonts, and, lastly, that an early connection with 

 North America would give Xh^Ungulata from primitive allies in the Eocene 

 there. But these are all surmises and none of the evidence pro or con 

 can be here given. Of this we may be fairly certain that Neogoea has 

 a remarkably primitive " indigenous " fauna of primitive Eutherian 

 animals belonging to the Edeiitata^ Rodentia^ early Ungulata and low 

 Anthropoid types, the greater number of which have perished, that 

 these have been enabled to survive and to reach a climax of adaptation 

 owing to an isolation of the realm up to nearly the commencement of 

 the pliocene epoch, and that subsequent connection led to an introduc- 

 tion of a northern fauna of higher Eutherian types. 



We may say that the peculiar isolation of Notogoea and of Neogoea 

 have furnished us with an example of the evolutionary possibilities of 

 the Metatheria and of the Ede^itata respectively, taken in the former 

 case from the prevalent fauna of the early dawn of the Tertiary epoch 

 and in the latter of some slightly later date. 



SUB-CLASS. 



Metatheria. 



Eutheria. 



Extant Mammalia of Neogoea. 



ORDER. FAMILIES. 



Djprotodontia. i (Opossum-rats). 



Polyprotodontia. i (Opossums). 



Edentata. 3 (Sloths, anteaters, armadillos). 



Rodentia. 9 (Squirrels, beavers, cavies, por- 



cupines). 



Carnivora. 5 (Jaguars, pumas, coatis 



raccoons). 



Ungulata. 4 (Peccaries). 



Insectivora. 1 (Selenodonis). 



Chiroptera. 3 (Vampjre-bats). 



Anthropoidea. 2 (Marmosets, Spider-Monkeys). 



3. Arctogcea. — This third zoological realm comprises a 

 vast extent of land, including nearly all North America, 

 Europe, Asia and Africa. It has very distinctive faunistic 

 characters, separating it from the other two realms. Taking 

 the present-day fauna first, we find that there are no Proto- 

 theria, and only one family of Metatheria (Opossums). On 

 the other hand, the Eutheria are abundant and of great 

 diversity. It has a monopoly of the sub-order Nomarthra 

 (Aard-varks and Pangolins) ; of Rodentia it has the families 

 of Eeavers {Castoridce)^ the Jerboas {Dipodidce) and the Picas 

 {Lagomyidce) to itself, and abundant representatives of other 

 famihesjsuchas J/?^r/^^,the hystricomorphous Neogoean types 

 being the most conspicuous absentees. Of Carnivora the 

 hysenas and civets and earth-pig {Frotelidce) are confined to 



