1'18 EDWAED HULL, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., ON THE 



physical change over the central and eastern area of the 

 Mediterranean wonld (as will be seen by the accompanying 

 map) reduce the evaporating area very largely, and would 

 extend the present land surfaces proportionately. At the 

 present day the Mediterranean waters are a little Salter than 

 those of the ocean, owing to the constant inflow of these 

 latter, produced by excess of the evaporation over supply 

 from rivers over the Mediterranean basin ; but under the 

 conditions here indicated the process would be reversed, as 

 the supply would exceed the loss from evaporation, with 

 the result that the waters would become fresher, and the 

 flow would be outwards into the ocean. 



Such was presumably the land and sea distribution during 

 one of the phases of change of the post-Miocene or Pliocene 

 period. The land communication between Europe and 

 Africa at Gibraltar and Sicily may have been complete at 

 one time and broken in another. But it is unnecessary to 

 investigate these changes further than to assure ourselves 

 that they are consistent with the conclusion that a chain of 

 freshwater lakes was established into Avhich flowed the 

 waters of North Africa from the south and those of Europe 

 and Asia Minor from the north.* If this be so, then we have 

 a sufficient explanation of the community of some of the 

 species of freshwater fishes inhabiting these rivers, such as 

 those of Tripoli and Syria at the present day, and now 

 separated by a barrier of highly saline Avaters. But we have 

 still to account for this community as it occurs in relation to 

 the Avaters of the Jordan Valley. 



The Jordan Valley Lake. — On a former occasion I have 

 shown that there is clear evidence that the whole valley of 

 the Jordan, from the Lake of Huleh on the north to the 

 Arabah on the south, was the bed of a lake over 200 miles in 

 length, and 1,300 feet (or more) above the present surface of 

 the Dead Sea.f A few feet higher would have caused the 

 waters of this lake to surmount the rim of the basin (as it is 

 at present) and to have escaped by the bed of the Kishon, 

 or some antecedent stream, into the Eastern Mediterranean 

 basin, through the plain of Esdraelon. In this way a con- 

 nection may have been established between the Avaters of 



* The Straits of Gibraltar by which the waters of the freshwater lakes 

 entered the ocean have a depth of 400 fathoms. This would allow 

 abundant passage for the waters even with a shallowing of 250 fathoms. 



t Phys. (Jed,, and Geog. of Arabia, Fetrcea, and Palestine, Mem, 

 Palestine Exploration Fund, pp. 99, 111, and 113. 1885. 



