f)74 STRATIGRAPHICAL GEOLOGY 



by Heer in 1867, but were supposed to be Eocene by Starkie 

 Gardner in 1879. 2 Mr. C. Eeid, 3 however, has recently shown that 

 the flora is identical with that of the lignites of Wetteran near 

 Bonn on the Rhine. 



B. LIFE OF THE PERIOD 



Flora. The Miocene flora does not differ very greatly from 

 that of the Oligocene period, and indicates a climate of sub-tropical 

 warmth, but that of the highest stage furnishes evidence of a certain 

 diminution of temperature and probably of an increase of the 

 winter's cold. It was during this period that palms ceased to 

 be abundant in Central Europe. 



The earliest Miocene flora is that of the Aquitanian, the Bovey 

 Beds and their equivalents in Northern Germany. This flora 

 includes an abundance of the Conifers Sequoia, Taxodium, and 

 Glyptostrobus, associated with palms of the genera Phcenicites, 

 Flabellaria, and Sabal, many deciduous trees, such as Quercus, 

 Laurus, Vitis, Magnolia, and Liquidambar, and several ferns, 

 Osmunda lignitum, Lastrea styriaca, and Lygodium Gaudini. 

 A fauna of a similar character occurs in the Swiss Burdigalian. 



Another well-known flora is that of the QEninghen Beds of 

 Switzerland, from which no fewer than 475 species of plants were 

 obtained by Professor Heer. In this assemblage palms are rare, 

 And the commonest trees are maples, planes, poplars, and elms, 

 with species of Cinnamon, Camphor, Vine (Vitis teutonica), Fig- 

 tree, Cypress (Taxodium) and Glyptostrobus, with a few Proteacece. 



Looking to the Miocene flora as a whole, Professor Heer 

 remarked that " increased prominence is given to the Japanese 

 types by the abundance of camphor - trees and Glyptostrobi ; to 

 the Atlantic element by the laurels ; to the American types by 

 the numerous evergreen-oaks, maples, poplars, planes, liquidambars, 

 Robinice, Sequoice, Taxodia, and ternate-leaved pines ; and to the 

 types of Asia Minor by the Planerce and a species of poplar (Populus 

 mutabilis). The greatest number and the most important of the 

 types of the Swiss Miocene flora belong, therefore, to a belt lying 

 between the isothermal lines of 59 and 77 Fahr., and in this 

 zone America is now the region which is most correspondent to 

 the natural character of the Swiss Miocene land." 



Fauna. Among invertebrate animals the Echinoderms are 

 perhaps the most noteworthy, and they are conspicuous members 

 of the marine fauna in the French, Italian, and Austrian regions ; 

 the principal genera are Clypeaster, Echinodiscus (Amphiope), 

 Scutella, Echinolampas, Spatangus, and Arbacia. 



Nearly all the marine Mollusca belong to living genera, but form 



