234 THE EEV. J. MAGENS MELLO; M.A., F.G.S.j ETC.^ 



tlie physical appearance of our predecessors in North-Western 

 Europe, and the geologist and archaeologist, working hand 

 in hand, have been able to reconstruct much of the early 

 history of our race. 



A'^ast changes had taken place in this part of the earth 

 during the later stages of geological history ; what we now 

 term Europe, from having been an archipelago of large islands, 

 became a continent with a central sea, but without those 

 great alpine chahis of mountains which now form so marked 

 a feature of its surface. Then came the age, not so far 

 removed, geologically speaking, from our own, when the Alps 

 were elevated, and when the tropical climate, formerly pre- 

 vailing, was by slow degrees becoming temperate ; the 

 central sea had given place to numerous lakes, whilst the 

 margins of the continent were cut into by deep fiords. The 

 vegetation of Europe, still partly tropical, was becoming 

 more like that of to-day, but the mammalian fauna was still 

 very different; the existing species had not made their 

 appearance, whilst there were numerous genera now extinct. 

 As time passed on the Tertiary period of the geologist was 

 brought to a close, and its pecuhar flora and fauna disappeared, 

 the general temperature sank to a minimum, and what is 

 known as the Glacial period prevailed over a large part of 

 the northern hemisphere. It is difficult for us to realize that 

 there was a time when all this fair and verdant country 

 became submerged beneath the waves of an Arctic sea ; when 

 the highest mountain-tops alone stood out above the water 

 as islands, against whose desolate shores the grinding ice- 

 pack and tottermg iceberg waged their wild conflict. Then 

 came to pass another change, a gradual elevation of the land 

 took place, these islands of ours rose again from the frozen 

 sea, and we may picture to ourselves almost a new world. 

 No Avatery channel then separated our land from the neigh- 

 bouring continent ; that which is now Ireland, equally with 

 Great Britain, formed but the North-Western extremity of 

 Europe, the shores of Avhich extended far beyond their present 

 bounds. Where is now the German Ocean was a wide valley, 

 through which swept a majestic river, born far to the south 

 amidst alpiue glaciers, and of which our own small streams 

 were but tributaries, and another great river ran through the 

 valley which is now the English Channel, discharging its 

 waters into the distant Atlantic. 



In those early days the land stood far higher above the sea 

 level than it does now, and the Arctic cold had not entirely 



