178 GEOGRAPHICAL ZOOLOGY. [part iv. 



Fossil Quadrumana. 



Not much progress has yet been made in tracing back the 

 various forms of Apes and Monkeys to their earliest appearance 

 on the globe ; but there have been some interesting recent 

 discoveries, which lead us to hope that the field is not yet 

 exhausted. The following is a summary of what is known as to 

 the early forms of each family : — 



Simiidce. — Two or three species of this family have been 

 found in the Upper Miocene deposits of France and Switzerland. 

 Pliopithecus, of wdiich a species has been found at each locality, 

 was allied to the gibbons {Hylobates), and perhaps to Semno- 

 pithecus. A more remarkable form, named Dryopithecus, as large 

 as a man, and having peculiarities of structure which are 

 thought by Gervais and Lartet to indicate a nearer approach 

 to the human form than any existing Ape, has been found in 

 strata of the same age in France. 



Semnopithccidm. — Species of Semnopithecus have been found 

 in the Upper Miocene of Greece, and others in the Siwalik 

 Hills of N. W. India, also of Upper Miocene age. An allied 

 form also occurs in the Miocene of Wurtemburg. Mesopithecus 

 from Greece is somewhat intermediate between Semnopithecus 

 and Macacus. 



Kemains supposed to be of Semnopithecus, have also occurred 

 in the Pliocene of Montpellier. 



Gynopithecidaz. — Macacus has occurred in Pliocene deposits 

 at Grays, Essex ; and also in the South of France along with 

 Cercopithecus. 



Cebidce. — In the caves of Brazil remains of the genera Gebus, 

 Mycetes, Callithrix, and Hapale, have been found ; as well as an 

 extinct form of larger size — Protopithecus. 



Lemuroidea. — A true lemur has recently been discovered in 

 the Eocene of France ; and it is supposed to be most nearly allied 

 to the peculiar West African genera, Perodicticus and Arctocebus. 



Cainopithccus, from the Swiss Jura, is supposed to have affinities 

 both for the Lemuridre and the American Cebidse. 



In the lower Eocene of North America remains have been 



