Reviews — Scharff's Origin of the European Fauna. 421 



readily througb the great mass of materials which is hei'e placed 

 before him, even though aided by the headings of the chapters and 

 sections and the general summary which the author has given (on 

 pp. 502-506). 



We venture to suggest that the title, " On the Origin of the 

 European Fauna," is scarcely appropriate ; the Memoir might more 

 properly be described as an enlarged and improved edition of 

 Dr. Scharff's earlier paper, " On the Origin of the Irish Land and 

 Fresh- water Fauna " (Proc. Roy. Irish Acad., cJrd ser., vol. iii, 

 1894). Indeed, in the introduction of the present paper (p. 428) 

 the author says : " As the origin of the Irish fauna forms the 

 key to the solution of the problem which I pi'opose to discuss, 

 I intend to deal with it more fully than has been done, before 

 entering on the larger subject of the general European fauna." 

 The larger subject is, however, dealt with in a very summary and 

 subordinate manner, and we find that Ireland really takes the 

 " leading lady's " part. What the author calls " the Southern 

 migration" meaning a migration from the south — and which really 

 refers throughout specially to the British Islands, and more 

 particularly to Ireland — has in many cases been rather a migration 

 to the south, and in other cases no migration at all. 



The Lusitanian element in the flora and fauna of Ireland, etc., 

 dates probably from the Miocene. Again, a certain percentage of 

 European Pleistocene and recent mammals have been members 

 of the European fauna from Tertiary times, and if they migrated at 

 all they migrated southwards. For example : The small dormouse, 

 Muscardinus avellanarius (p. 479), is met with in a very little 

 modified form in the Middle Miocene of Europe ; the negative 

 fact of its being absent nowadays from Ireland proves nothing 

 at all. 



Myogale moschata (p. 447), believed to have migrated to Great 

 Britain from Siberia, has nothing to do with Siberia. It inhabits 

 to-dav Southern or rather South-Eastern Eussia, and has been found 

 in the Norfolk Forest-bed (Mem. Geol. Surv. 1882 : " The Vertebrata 

 of the Forest-Bed Series," pp. 98-102, pi. xvi, figs. 1-10 ; by E. T. 

 Newton, F.R.S.), and a very closely allied form occurs in the 

 Middle Miocene of Sansan antl La Grive. 



Again : Hippopotamus and Hyaenas were already in Europe in 

 Pliocene times, and remained there during part of the Pleistocene 

 period, adapting themselves, as long as they were able, to the 

 changed conditions of climate and environments. 



But — apologizing for this digression — Dr. Scharff must now be 

 allowed to speak for himself, and he is well qualified to do so. 



The Divisions of the Irish Terrestrial Fauna. — " A careful study 

 of any section of the Irish fauna and flora reveals the fact that 

 there are in it minor groups of animals or plants which on the 

 Continent live altogether in the north, some which inhabit 

 exclusively the south, and others again to which no particular limit 

 of range can be assigned. Besides these there are a small number 

 of species peculiar to Ireland, which we need not consider here. 



