TERTIARY MAMMAL HORIZONS. 41 



c. Mid-Plcistoccuc. ElcpJuxs anfiquiis stage, First Litcrglacial 

 Period Upper Stage, Pohlig. 



According to Pohlig the Mid-Pleistocene proper, or succeed- 

 ing stage, was characterized by volcanic disturbances in central 

 Europe and by the deposition of gypsum and tufas. Probably 

 these earth movements were connected with the marked geo- 

 graphical changes brought about by wide-spread depression of 

 the continental borders and isolation, which the same author 

 assigns to this period. The fauna, typically represented in the 

 Thuringian tufas, indicates a cooler or north temperate climate. 

 Eleplias antiquus is very abundant, making its last appearance 

 north of Italy. The typical locality is the Thuringian Tufa in 

 which Pohlig records 6i species. Parallel with this is the Tau- 

 bach Weimar fauna. 



In 1895, Nehring ('95, p. 369) reported from this level what 

 he regarded as the oldest human remains thus far found in Eu- 

 rope, consisting of two very large molar teeth resembling in 

 some respects those of the chimpanzee ; this he considered of 

 Cheleen type. In the same year Newton described a human 

 skeleton of Esquimaux type in the still older 'higher terraces' or 

 Hippopotamus level ; the antiquity of this skeleton is, however, 

 rendered somewhat doubtful by the fact that the skull is of much 

 newer type than those of Neanderthal and Spy, and the evi- 

 dence for its extreme palaeolithic age is not considered absolutely 

 conclusive. 



In this fauna Hippopotamus no longer appears — an indication 

 perhaps of a decidedly colder climate. ElepJias antiquus how- 

 ever persists and is most abundant. Among the other charac- 

 teristic Pleistocene forms are Rhinoceros nierckii which disap- 

 pears soon after this stage ; E. priuiigenius typus ; Cervus 

 gastaldi. The faunal list is provisionally analysed as follows : 

 3 Pliocene species still living (Castor, Hyaena, Arvicola) ; 

 7 Pleistocene species, now extinct ; 

 23 Living species (including living pleistocene Northern 

 types). 



The number of recorded living species increases, there being 



