78 MIOCENE FAUNA. 



(Cervus). This makes its appearance with one species (C. me- 

 dius, Meyer, sp.) in the lignite formation at the Hohe-Rhonen ; 

 but it only arrives at its full development in the youngest Mio- 

 cene, which furnishes seven species. The most abundant spe- 

 cies is Cervus Scheuchzeri*, Meyer, sp., which has been brought 

 to light at numerous points in the three upper stages of the 

 Swiss Miocene, and was distributed all over Europe at that 

 period. It occurs in Germany, France, and Spain ; so that it 

 occupied the place of the red deer of the present day. It was 

 smaller, however, and probably scarcely exceeded the roe in size. 

 A second species (C. eminens, Meyer, sp.), discovered in the 

 lower quarry at QEningen, if we may judge from the molars 

 which have alone been found, was as large as the red deer; and 

 a third species (C. Nicoleti, Meyer, sp.), from La Chaux-de- 

 Fonds, was still larger. Of the other three species (C. medius, 

 Meyer, sp., minor, Meyer, sp., and lunatus, Meyer) only separate 

 teeth have hitherto occurred, so that their relations to the living 

 deer cannot be ascertained f. This applies also to some teeth 

 from Kapfnach which are very like those of deer, and are di- 

 stinguished by their elegant structure, and have therefore been 

 referred to a distinct genus ( Orygotherium Escheri, Meyer) . 



The family of hollow-horned Ruminants, to which belong the 

 gazelles, antelopes, goats, sheep, and oxen, has not yet been met 

 with in the Swiss Miocene ; and in the rest of Europe only an- 

 telopes are known in Tertiary deposits. But that such animals 

 then inhabited Switzerland is rendered probable by the numerous 

 beetles living on the excrements of horned cattle already referred 

 to in the present volume (p. 17). 



The Rodentia, which principally feed upon vegetable food, are 

 for the most part small, have incisor teeth without roots, no 



* It has been quite recently carefully described and figured by Prof. Oscar 

 Fraas (Fauna von Steinheim, p. 34). Prof. Fraas has shown that this deer 

 bore short branched antlers, whence the name of Cervus furcatus. 



t H. von Meyer has separated from Cervus all the species cited, with the 

 exception of C. hmatus, and united them in a distinct genus, Paleeomeryx, 

 because the posterior molars are furnished with a peculiar process which is 

 wanting in Cervus. Whether or not they possessed antlers has not yet been 

 ascertained with certainty j and hence their relation to the deer and musk-deer 

 remains doubtful. 



