The Black Earth. 355 



commences to make its appearance, the Horse, Jerboa, and Marmot 

 being especially characteristic. Oii the other hand the remahis of 

 Mammoth and Rhinoceros are found in close conjunction with these 

 in Germany. 



In Russia the smaller rodents persist at the present day, though 

 these are now fast disappearing before advancing civilization. The 

 steppe-rat still holds its own to a great extent, but when we 

 consider that over forty thousand were destroyed in one year (and 

 that in one district only, Stila, south of Ekaterinoslav governments), 

 it will be readily understood that their extinction as such is but a 

 question of time. In the Upper beds of the German Loess at 

 Thiele, in Brunswick, the steppe rodents practically disappear, the 

 Mammoth, Rhinoceros, Horse, Hyaena, and Lion alone carrying on 

 the faunal history. The latter two animals never appear to have 

 established themselves in the S. Russian area, but the first three 

 are of typical occurrence. In the last zone forest-living animals 

 commenced to appear, but it is to be feared have been unable to 

 obtain a strong footing, thanks to the hunting propensities of 

 mankind. 



It is interesting to note that man seems at the present day to be 

 engaged in a deadly struggle with what we should otherwise regard 

 as a natural tendency, for whilst the forests, if left alone, would 

 probably become successful invaders, they are ruthlessly cut down 

 in the hour of victory. 



In Germany, then, as in Russia, a steppe-region probably succeeded 

 the period of lake and tundra, but the forests had long played au 

 important part in the former ere the southward advance of the 

 vegetation commenced in the latter country. Already in the time 

 of Tacitus they were spread over the face of the country, forming 

 a mighty fortress, behind whose defences Arminius could well defy 

 the all-powerful Roman hosts. 



In England the climatic conditions are so totally different that 

 steppe-characters might well not have existed. Nevertheless, even 

 here, as has been suggested by Mr. Clement Reid in " Natural 

 Science," there is some evidence of the erstwhile presence of such 

 plains over which the Saiga Antelope may have roamed at will. 



The greater extension of the forests in former times is, of course, 

 a matter of common knowledge; for we learn at the time of 

 Cesar's landing, Londinium was in the midst of the Middlesex 

 forests, traces of which are still abundant, e.g. Epping Forest, 

 Highgate and Hadley woods. 



It therefore would appear that like conditions succeeded each 

 other all over the North of Europe, but that our own island is ahead 

 of both Eastern Germany and Southern Russia as regards historical 

 development; probably due to its greater nearness to the edge of 

 the continental plateau, and consequent more rapid transition to an 

 insular climate. 



Before summarising the views set forth in the present paper, it 

 may be of interest to call attention to the humus-bearing Loess 

 which lies at the base of the main deposit. Prof. Armachevsky 



