174 PLIOCENE PERIOD. 



which has received the name of " Sansino/' and belongs to the 

 Pliocene. It contains the same mastodon (M. arvernensis) that 

 occurs in the Norwich Crag, and also an elephant (E. meridio- 

 nalis), a hippopotamus (H. major] , and a rhinoceros (R. etruscus, 

 Falc.), which, in England, extend up into the forest-bed. Only 

 five species of plants have as yet been observed in the Sansino. 

 Three of them are peculiar to it;- but two (Glyptostrobus euro- 

 PCRUS and Cinnamomum Scheuchzeri) are common to it and to 

 the Miocene. 



A greater number of plants have been discovered in Monta- 

 jone, a lateral valley of the Val d'Arno. The sea formerly ex- 

 tended into this region; and the soft yellowish-grey sandstone 

 consequently contains not only leaves but marine animals, of 

 which about half, as in the Coralline Crag, belong to living 

 species ; hence this locality must be regarded as Pliocene. 

 Among the plants many peculiar forms are met with ; but half 

 of them agree with species of the (Eningian stage. Such are 

 the planes, the hornbeams, the liquidambar, two or three pop- 

 lars, the small-leaved elm, the Planera, one or two walnut-trees, 

 a SapinduSj and the lime-leafed jujube-tree. But there are no 

 tropical forms ; and, from the analogy of the most nearly allied 

 living species, nearly all of these plants would support the pre- 

 sent climate of Tuscany. 



Ascending one stage higher, we find in Tuscany compact tuffs 

 (the travertines of Massa Marittima) which, in many places, 

 contain impressions of plants. They show a remarkable mixture 

 of extinct and living species. Among the former may be re- 

 marked, besides several Miocene trees (such as the liquidambar, 

 the Planer a, and Betula prised), some peculiar forms, of which 

 an arbor vitse (Thuja Saviana, Gaud.) and a walnut (Juglans 

 paviafolia, Gaud.) are especially interesting. Of the existing 

 species some are now confined to Southern Europe, namely the 

 fig-tree, the manna-ash, the oriental hornbeam, the Judas tree 

 (Cercis siliquastrum, Linn.), several South-Italian oaks, and the 

 sarsaparilla (Smilax aspera, Linn.) ; but a portion of them also 

 inhabit other regions, such as the beech, elm, white-beam tree 

 (Pyrus Aria), the grey willow (Salix cinerea, Linn.), the maple 

 and sycamore, and the ivy. 



