OF CREATION. 



197 



of beetles and flies, some very singular bones of 

 small size, belonging, it would seem, to a flying rep- 

 tile, and others of gigantic proportions, referred to 

 large land reptiles ; but these latter were exceedingly 

 unlike the land reptiles at present existing, and exhi- 

 bit curious analogies with the gigantic living pachy- 

 dermal mammals, such as the elephant, rhinoceros, 

 and hippopotamus. Lastly, there are found in these 

 beds, though so rarely that but three or four instances 

 are known, the remains of small warm-blooded qua- 

 drupeds supposed to be referable to insectivorous 

 didelphine animals like the opossum, whose nearest 

 living analogue is to be found in America and the 

 Australian continent. 



Let us first consider briefly the climate and ter- 

 restrial flora indicated by the organic remains, as far 

 as the plants will enable us to judge. 



The first thing that slrikes us with regard to these 

 fossils is that they belong almost entirely to the fa- 

 mily of CYCADE.E, none of which are now indigenous 

 in Europe, although they are found in abundance 

 in sub-tropical and south temperate latitudes. They 

 resemble the palms in many respects, but also possess 

 analogies with the large and important group of 

 Coniferte, while they imitate the ferns in the mode 

 in which the leaves are curved up at their extre- 

 mities, and partly in the leaves themselves. Of the 

 whole group, the Cycas and Zamia are considered 

 to be those offering the nearest resemblances to 

 the extinct species. The former, the Cycas, of 

 which a South African species is represented in 

 fig. 75, exhibits a crown of foliage at the sum- 

 mit of a simple cylindrical trunk of considerable 



