356 PETRIFACTIONS AND THEIR TEACHINGS. CHAP. III. 



I. Mammalia of the most ancient fresh-water strata ; from 

 the presence of remains of palseotheria, anoplotheria, and 

 other Cuvierian pachyderms, these deposits are regarded as 

 Eocene and Miocene tertiary. 



II. Mastodon, Hippopotamus, Elephant, Horse, Tapir, &c. 

 all supposed to be extinct species ; the beds in which these 

 occur are separated from the previous group by ancient lavas. 



III. Bones from the sandy marl and alluvial debris. These 

 are referable to small Rodents (Lagomys), and nearly 50 

 species of other existing mammalia ; as Squirrel, Hare, Martin, 

 Dog, Cat, &c. Hog, Ox, Deer, Horse ; and Reptiles, as Frogs, 

 Lizards, Snakes ; several kinds of Birds ; and eggs of reptiles 

 and birds. 1 



DISCOVERIES OF M. POMEL. Sir Charles Lyell, in the recent 

 edition of his " Elements of Geology," remarks, that it cannot 

 with certainty be determined whether all the fresh-water strata 

 of the Limagne d'Auvergne belong to one period, because ex- . 

 tensive beds both of the arenaceous and marly groups are 

 often devoid of fossils. " Much light has been thrown on the 

 mammalian fauna by the labours of MM. Bravard and Croizefc, 

 and by those of M. Pomel. The last-mentioned naturalist has 

 pointed out the specific distinction of all, or nearly all, the 

 mammalia, from those of the tertiary gypseous series near 

 Paris. Nevertheless, many of the forms are analogous to ; 

 those of eocene quadrupeds. The Cainotherium, for example, 

 is not far removed from Anoplotherium, and is, according 

 to Mr. Waterhouse, the same as the genus Microtherium of i 

 the German naturalists. There are two species of marsu- 

 pial animals allied to Didelphys, a genus also found in the 

 Paris gypsum. The Amphitragulus elegans of Pomel,, has 

 been identified with a Rhenish species from Weissenau near 

 Mayence, called by M. Kaup Dorcatherium nanum; and 

 other Auvergne fossils, e.g. Microtherium Reuggeri, and a 

 small rodent, Titanomys, are specifically the same with mam- 

 malia of the Mayence basin." 2 



COLLECTION IN Wall-case G. The collection formed by 

 M. Pomel, which is now before us, is chiefly, as I am informed 



1 " Wonders of Geology," p. 274. 



2 "Manual of Elementary Geology," 1851, p. 188. See also p. 425, of 

 the same volume. 





