58 MIOCENE FAUNA. 



must be remarked, in general, that of the twelve genera which 

 CEningen has in common with the existing fauna, only one, the 

 Coitus, belongs exclusively to the temperate and cold regions, 

 all the rest occurring also in Mediterranean countries or even 

 in tropical and subtropical zones. The genera Perca, Acan- 

 thopsis, Cobitis, Gobio, Leuciscus, and Aspius are also represented 

 in Indian rivers ; and eels are found in Madeira and Teneriffe. 

 To this must be added that the fish-fauna of CEningen contains 

 a number of species usually belonging to genera in warmer lands. 

 The genus Lebias, represented by four small species, now in- 

 habits Italy, the East, and America ; Pcecilia occurs only in the 

 swamps of Carolina and South America ; and Cyclurus is extinct. 

 Thus side by side with those genera which still occur in Swit- 

 zerland, but the greater part of which extend their range into 

 warm and even torrid zones, other fishes are found which now 

 exclusively belong to hot countries. 



CEningen does not possess many of the commonest Swiss 

 forms of fishes. Although the fishes of CEningen have been 

 collected most carefully for the last hundred years, no species 

 have been found there which can be regarded as nearly allied to 

 the trout, salmon, eel, barbot, carp*, barbel, grayling, and 

 bream of the present day. Some of these forms are deficient in 

 more southern countries, or they prefer clear fresh water, like 

 the trout, grayling, and barbot (Lota). The Lake of CEningen 

 probably had turbid water and a muddy bottom. This is proved 

 by the occurrence of tenches and loaches, and of species of 

 Poscilia and Lebias, the relatives of which now live in muddy 

 waters. 



A large-headed loach (Cobitis cephalotes, Ag.) is very like 

 Cobitis fossilis, Linn., which often buries itself deeply in the 

 mud; and tenches, of which CEningen possessed three species, 

 have a similar habit ; the species of Lebias live in shoals in the 



* In the older collections, fishes from CEningen have been often labelled 

 as " carp " or " trout j " but these are all artificially constructed animals to 

 which the form of those fishes has been given. The monks of the old Con- 

 vent at CEningen appear to have been very clever in the fabrication of such 

 fishes, and they have since had their imitators. The plants and insects of 

 the older collections are also frequently fabricated, and consequently worth- 

 less. They are usually coated with a brown colour prepared from unripe 

 walnut-shells. 



