THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



39 



the river Lena, which was in such good preservation that 

 dogs and bears fed off it. . 



This animal was covered with a mixture of bristles and 

 short close hair, and seems thus to have been adapted for 

 a colder climate than that now inhabited by Elephants ; 

 still it is supposed that at the period of its existence 

 Siberia cannot have been as cold as it now is, for there 

 wouldnot have been sufficient vegetation for the sustenance 

 of such immense herbivorous animals. 



The second of these gigantic extinct Elephants was the 

 Mastodon, so called from the peculiarities in its teeth. 

 The remains of the largest of these have been found in 

 North America ; but some belonging to other species seem 

 to have been natives of the old world, and even of Britain. 



You will be interested to read the following extract 

 from Dr. Carpenter's excellent work on Zoology, in relation 

 to the animals which formerly existed in our country, but 

 which are now confined to warmer regions. 



"There is abundant evidence, derived from fossil re- 

 mains which occur in the newer tertiary strata (those 

 which lie above the chalk), in gravel-pits, and in caves, 

 that the larger Feline and Hyasnine animals were formerly 

 distributed much more extensively ; that lions and tigers 

 of greater bulk than any at present existing, roamed over 

 the plains, and inhabited the jungles of Europe, and even 

 of our o\vn country ; and that gigantic Hyaenas and 

 enormous Bears dwelt in the caves which occur so 

 frequently in our limestone rocks ; dragging thither the 

 carcases of the animals they had slaughtered, and prowl* 

 ing about at night, with glaring eyes and savage howls, in 

 search of prey. In many of these caves are now found 

 vast heaps of bones of the animals thus destroyed, which 

 must have accumulated during many years, together with 

 the bones of the rapacious beasts which had their dwel- 

 ling there. And it is a remarkable proof that these caves 



