Permanence and Evohttion. 161 



the distribution of land and sea has remained 

 much the same since the beginning of the recent 

 period ; on the other hand we find some evolu- 

 tionists on zoo-geographical grounds, calling 

 up huge continents and arms of the sea other- 

 wise unknown to geologists, thus sapping the 

 foundations of the former argument. 



In fact, there is much reason to think 

 that towards the end of the tertiary period, 

 the general facies of the fauna of this planet, 

 or at all events the northern hemisphere, 

 was tolerably similar, every type being cos- 

 mopolitan, while each country had its own 

 local races, as is the case now in some 

 groups, say the Canidse, and that what we see 

 now of certain groups being characteristic of 

 certain tracts is the result of subsequent extinc- 

 tion taking place diversely in different parts of 

 the world. Very often, when judging simply by 

 the . existing fauna and going on evolutionist 

 principles, we should be tempted to suppose 



M 



