THE PLIOCENE OF EUROPE, ASIA, AND NORTH AMERICA 323 



in two localities jields Stegodon teeth very similar to S. ganesa and S. 

 insignis; we find here also Elephas, Hippopotamus, Sus, and Bos. Even 

 more important is the Pithecanthropus erectus discovered by Dubois in 

 1894, with its decided affinities to the line of human ancestry. 



1. Life of Southern Asia 



This life is revealed in the wonderfully rich deposits broadly knowTi 

 as the 'Siwaliks/ vast ancient flood ])lain areas stretching for a distance 

 of fifteen hundred miles along the foothills of the Himalayas. To assist 



Fig. 154. — Chief Miocene and Pliocene fossil mammal deposits of Asia. 1. Maragha, 

 Persia. 2. Perim Island. 3. Manchhar Beds of Sind. 4. Siwaliks of the Punjab. 5. Sub- 

 himalayan Siwaliks (River Brahmaputra to River Jhelum). 6. Valley of the Lower Irawadi, 

 Burma. 7. Miocene and Pliocene deposits of China (Provinces of Shan-si, Shen-si, Sze-chuan, 

 Kwang-Tung, Ho-nan, Hu-nan, Hu-peh). 8. Miocene and Pliocene deposits of Japan. 



our mental picture of the environment it is important to remember that 

 while the elevation of the Himalayas commenced with the Tertiary epoch, 

 the range only attained an elevation comparable to that which it now 

 possesses toward the commencement of the Pliocene period (Oldham and 

 Blanford). 



Our knowledge of the Siwalik mammals is due chiefly to the masterly 

 researches of Falconer and the recent revisions of Lydekker. The geologic 

 or time succession of the various deposits which have been treated collec- 

 tively as of this age is of the utmost importance but still awaits careful 



