xiv DISTRIBUTION 621 



(Pliopithecus, Hylobates and other genera), and some other Anthro- 

 poidea. Many existing families have arisen, such as Hedgehogs, 

 Shrews, and Moles ; Mice, Kabbits, and Porcupines ; Whales and 

 Dolphins ; Tapirs, Hippopotami, Swine, and Antelopes ; and 

 species of Felis and Canis. The Rhinoceroses of the period still 

 have no horns, and the antlers of the Deer are small or absent. 

 The Tapir-like ancestors of the Equidse found in the Eocene have 

 developed into more Horse-like forms, and the ancestors of the 

 Camels (Poebrotherium) still retain upper incisors and distinct 

 metacarpals. Numerous Marsupials lived in South America during 

 this or the preceding period : many of these were small forms 

 (Microbiotheridce) apparently allied to the living Ccenolestes ; others 

 (Sparassodonta 1 ) were larger, carnivorous, with resemblances to the 

 Tasmanian Thylacinus. 



The Pliocene fauna has a still more modern aspect, a large 

 proportion of the animals composing it belonging to existing 

 genera, although most of the species are extinct. Indirect evidence, 

 in the shape of chipped flints, of the existence of Man occurs in 

 deposits assigned to this period. Complex antlers have appeared 

 in the Deer, horns in the Rhinoceroses, and tusks in the Pigs. 

 The occurrence of Giant Tortoises (Testudo) in the Pliocene of both 

 Palaearctic and Nearctic regions, and of a Chimpanzee and a true 

 Ostrich (Struthio) in deposits of this age in India and the Crimea, 

 indicates the northern origin of these forms. Indeed it seems 

 probable that most of the higher Vertebrata, except Penguins and 

 the New- World Edentates, have originated in the Holarctic region. 



In the Pleistocene period many existing species have made 

 their appearance, but their geographical distribution is very 

 different from that of the present day. For instance, the European 

 fauna includes many forms now confined to the Ethiopian and 

 Oriental regions, such as Apes, large Felidae, Hyaenas, Tapirs, 

 Rhinoceroses, Hippopotami, Horses, and Elephants, all of which 

 .appear to have been driven southwards by the cold of the Glacial 

 epoch. In some parts of the world the Pleistocene fauna includes 

 remarkable and often gigantic forms now extinct most notable 

 being the great Edentates (Megatherium, Mylodon, Glyptodon, &c'.) 

 of South America, the gigantic Marsupials (Diprotodon, Nototherium) 

 of Australia, and the great flightless Birds (Dinornis, &pyornis, 

 &c.) of Madagascar and New Zealand. Nesopithecus, which occurs 

 in the Pleistocene of Madagascar, is either a Monkey-like Lemur 

 or a true Monkey : if it be the latter, its occurrence indicates a 

 closer affinity between that island and Africa than their existing 

 faunae would indicate. Pithecanthropus, found in beds of late 

 Pliocene or early Pleistocene age in Java, was perhaps a connecting 

 link between the other Anthropoids and Man. 



1 The marsupial affinities of the Sparassodonts, however, are very doubt- 

 ful, and the resemblances to Thylacinus may be entirely superficial. 



VOL. II Q Q 



