A DROWNED CONTINENT 121 



in its fauna with that of Europe in early Tertiary times, 

 and to a certain extent with that of modern Africa ; and 

 the most satisfactory way of explaining these relationships 

 is by assuming either the persistence of a land connection 

 between the Cape and South America across the South 

 Atlantic till a comparatively late geological epoch, or that 

 such connection took place farther south by means of the 

 Antarctic continent. There are several objections, which 

 need not be considered here, in regard to the latter alter- 

 native, and since there is other evidence in favour of the 

 comparatively recent origin of the South Atlantic depres- 

 sion, the persistence of a land connection in lower 

 latitudes seems the more probable explanation. 



In addition to all this there are indications of a relation- 

 ship between the land faunas of Australasia and South 

 America; and as similar types are not met with in Africa, 

 and several of them belong to groups unlikely to have 

 endured Antarctic cold, it has been suggested that America 

 and Australasia were in connection at no very remote epoch 

 by way of the Coral Sea. It is known, for instance, that 

 some of the Australian marsupials are more or less closely 

 allied to others which inhabited South America before it 

 was connected with North America ; and as no kindred 

 types are met with either in the latter area, in Europe, 

 or in Africa, a land connection by way of the South Pacific, 

 and that at a comparatively recent epoch, offers almost the 

 only satisfactory explanation of the means of transit, if the 

 Antarctic theory be rejected. And it may be mentioned 

 in passing that the acceptance of even the latter would 

 imply a large modification from the existing distribution 

 of land and water in the southern hemisphere. Similar 

 evidence is afforded by certain extinct tortoises common 

 to South America and Australia, 



