52 EARLY MAN IN BRITAIN. [CHAP. m. 



throughout the Meiocene strata, and are found fossil 

 in Italy, Germany, France, and Britain. The former is a 

 native of southern Asia, but it thrives also in Sicily and 

 Madeira, while the latter resembles a Japanese laurel. 



The camphors, cinnamons, and laurels were large ever- 

 green forest trees ; the sassafras was probably a shrub or 

 small tree. A species of sandal-wood tree, belonging 

 to a well-marked Australian genus, Leptomaria, and the 

 Australian Proteaceous genera, HaJcea, Dryandra, Bank- 

 sia, and Orevittia, have also been met with. Of the 

 climbers, the convolvulus family is represented by the 

 Indian genus Porana, while Bignonias, now found only 

 in the sub-tropical and torrid zones, wound round the 

 trees. There were also small-leaved ivies, and vines 

 allied to the American fox-grape ; and among the climb- 

 ing plants several species of Sarsaparilla. Magnolias, tulip 

 trees, and planes ranged in the Meiocene age from Italy 

 to Iceland, and the gum tree from Italy to Britain. 



The general conclusions drawn by Professor Heer as 

 to the Swiss Meiocene species are as follows : " Of the 

 species most nearly resembling the Swiss Meiocene 

 species, 83 live in the northern United States and 103 

 in the southern United States, 40 in tropical America, 6 

 in Chili, 58 in central Europe, 79 in the Mediterranean 

 zone, 23 in the temperate, 45 in the warm, and 40 in 

 the torrid zone of Asia, 25 in the Atlantic islands, 26 in 

 Africa, and 21 in Australia. 



" These numbers show that in the Meiocene period 

 Switzerland was inhabited by types of plants which are 

 now scattered over all parts of the world, but that most 

 of them correspond to American species. Europe only 

 stands in the second rank, Asia in the third, Africa 

 in the fourth, and Australia in the fifth. Most of 



