42 "THE COMING OF MAN 



We may well imagine these primates as slowly crowded out 

 of northern Europe and Asia. The Alps in Europe, the Black 

 and Caspian Seas, with the Caucasus mountains between, 

 barred the farther escape southward. Between these western 

 barriers and the great eastern Himalaya elevation lay Western 

 Turkestan and the uplands of the Iranian plateau. Even here 

 the increasing coolness and dryness of Miocene and early 

 Pliocene times were causing forest to give place to ever widen- 

 ing stretches of open grassland. The tropical and most of the 

 semitropical trees have been driven farther southward. It 

 is no longer a suitable home for arboreal forms depending 

 upon trees for home and refuge, and fruits for a good part 

 of their food. 



Most of the anthropoids continued the southward retreat. 

 Gorilla and chimpanzee v/ent into Africa; the orangs entered 

 India and thence the long Malay Peninsula to what are now 

 islands in the Indian Ocean. The gibbons seem to have lagged 

 behind in this southward march. 



Following these immigrants was one group which had ap- 

 parently lingered still farther behind. They may have come 

 from farthest north. They had been the last to retreat, 

 had been toughened by the cooling chmate, hardened and 

 trained by the diminishing supply of the most easily obtained 

 and attractive food. Either caught in some dwindling forest 

 region or open park-land or tempted by the richer supply 

 of food on the ground, they began to venture to come down 

 from the trees; to search for roots and bulbs, berries and 

 similar fruits, insects and their larvae, and the small animals 

 living along the streams. It was a hazardous experiment; 

 but they made it, somewhat from inclination, far more by com- 

 pulsion. Thus we may imagine or guess that the final and 

 for them irrevocable step was accomplished. 



It was anything but a safe or promising venture for an 

 arboreal form. The ground belonged to the carnivora; pow- 

 erful lithe forms, with sharp claws and teeth, of speed and 

 skill in stalking and springing upon their prey. The anthro- 

 poid had led a safe peaceful life, and had remained without 



