226 THE MALAGASY REGION. [CHAP. VI. 



species on nearly all the great continents during the Tertiary 

 epoch seems, however, an insuperable objection to this view. 



In the absence of any evidence as to the Tertiary vertebrate 

 palaeontology of eastern Africa, I have no suggestion to offer as to 

 the origin of the gigantic birds of the genus SEpyornis, which 

 during the late Plistocene or recent epoch formed such a marked 

 feature in the Malagasy avifauna. 



NOTE. The Author has reason to believe that several new 

 Malagasy mammals have been discovered by Dr C. I. Forsyth-Major; 

 but as no description of these had appeared when this chapter was 

 passed for press, they could not be noticed. 



