56 HISTORY OF THE EUROPEAN FAUNA. 



As a contribution to the history and composition of 

 the European fauna, by far the most important work 

 ever published is that of Dr. Kobelt, the eminent 

 German conchologist. Whilst the researches into the 

 origin of the Lepidoptera, above described, have been 

 marred by the prevalent prejudice as to the dele- 

 terious effects of a glacial climate on the butterflies, 

 the present author boldly works out the problem on 

 independent lines. He shuns theories and specula- 

 tions almost altogether. His great work, as yet 

 practically unknown, the result of a lifetime of the 

 most painstaking labour, ranks among the most im- 

 portant contributions to zoogeography. I shall have 

 frequent occasion to refer to it throughout these pages. 

 Meanwhile some of his more remarkable conclusions 

 may be mentioned. " Comparing all classes of 

 animals as to their zoogeographical importance, the 

 highest rank must undoubtedly be accorded to the 

 land-snails " (i., p. 7). " The Pleistocene, and with it 

 the land and fresh-water molluscan fauna of the 

 present day has been gradually evolved from the 

 Tertiary one, and its roots can be traced through the 

 Cretaceous to the Jurassic epoch. During the whole 

 of that time no sudden appearance of a new fauna 

 can be demonstrated. Quite slowly, step by step, the 

 Cretaceous is succeeded by the Tertiary fauna, and 

 one after the other of the characteristic palaearctic 

 genera appear first the fresh-water, then the land 

 forms" (p. 141). "The division of the North Alpine 

 from the South Alpine fauna must be older than the 



