50 



TREE ANCESTORS 



During the three to five million years of Cretaceous time the 

 sequoias had flourished and become widespread. They saw many 

 changes taking place in the world about them. Beneath their 

 shade new races were springing up; the plants of a modern type 

 which were destined to replace all others in the struggle for exist- 

 ence had obtained their start; animals gamboled about their 



Fig. 8. Cone-bearing Branch of a Common JNIiocene Big Tree, Sequoia 

 CouTSii (About § Natur.^l Size) 



trunks or climbed in their branches that were destined to replace 

 the unintelligent and clumsy reptiles and bye and bye to give rise 

 to the horses, dogs and cats of a later day, and finally to produce 

 that animal which was to attain universal disoribution, and to be 

 the destroyer of countless other species — man. 



