86 MIOCENE FAUNA. 



banks of the rivers and lakes, where willows and birches, alders 

 and poplars offered their bark for sustenance, and their branches 

 as building-materials. 



For the apes sufficient provision was made by the figs and 

 bread-fruit trees, walnuts, almonds, jujube -trees, and date-palms, 

 the St.-JohnVbread trees, and the palms. At this period rice 

 and millet already clothed the ground and furnished these ani- 

 mals with farinaceous food. 



For the otters (Potamotherium) the rivers and lakes offered 

 abundant nourishment, as did the animals of the forest for the 

 carnivorous hyaenas, civets, and tigers. 



We have already shown (vol. i. p. 315) that during the Mio- 

 cene period important changes of the flora took place ; and it 

 would be interesting to know whether the land fauna also be- 

 came modified. Unfortunately the materials for demonstrating 

 such a modification in detail are still wanting. The insect-fauna 

 of the Swiss Miocene is known almost solely from the uppermost 

 stage of the Molasse; and this applies also to the Fishes. Few 

 certain data are afforded by the Reptiles and Mollusca. The 

 Mammalia, however, afford more information. From the lowest 

 stage (Tongrian) there is in Switzerland only a species of manatee ; 

 but in other countries this stage also contains Anthracotheria, 

 which, with the Swiss, are chiefly found in the Aquitanian, al- 

 though they also extend up into the third stage. In Switzerland 

 the following mammals belong to the second stage : Palceo- 

 therium Schinzii, Anthracotherium minimum } Chalicotherium an- 

 tiquum, and Amphicyon intermedius. The Mammalia of the third 

 stage comprise Rhinoceros gannatensis and sansaniensis, Hyopota- 

 mus borbonicus, Anthracotherium hippoideum,ihe species ofMicro- 

 therium and Archaomys, Theridomys Blainvillei, and Issiodoromys 

 pseudoncema. Exclusively in the CEningian (fifth) stage : Dino- 

 therium giganteum, Listriodon splendens, Anchitherium aurelia- 

 nense, Sus wylensis, S. abnormis, Hyotherium Sommerringii, Cer- 

 vus lunatus, eminens, Bojani, and Nicoleti, Moschus aurelianensis , 

 species of Lagomys, Brachymys ornatus, Sciurus Bredai, Didel- 

 phys Blainvillei, Hyancelurus Sulzeri, Galecynus palustris , Pota- 

 motherium Valetonii, Trochictis carbonaria, and Hylobates anti- 

 quus. Consequently only 4 species have hitherto been found 

 peculiar to the second stage, 20 to the third, and 22 to the fifth, 



