﻿88 Reviews — Seer's Primceval World of Sivitzerland. 



Like the plant-life, Insects were most abundant at QSningen, about 

 876 species having been described. Eishes of freshwater species 

 were also plentiful, together with gigantic Salamanders, Frogs, 

 Toads, Lizards, Crocodiles, Serpents, and Tortoises, in all 27 species ; 

 and six species of Birds ; whilst of Mammalia 59 species are known, 

 3 genera only of which now occur in Switzerland ( Cervus, Sus, and 

 Sciiiriis). The Gibbons now live in India ; the Opossums (Didelphys) 

 in South America; the Ehinoceros and Musk-deer in India and 

 Africa ; the Tapirs in India and S. America. Space does not permit 

 us to complete this interesting historical sketch of Middle Europe 

 down to the present day. A long lapse of centuries follows filled 

 up by the Quaternary Period with its more sombre forests of Pines, 

 Birch, Oak, and Sycamore, its herds of wild Elephants, its Ehino- 

 ceroses and Buffalos. 



Fig 



Fig 



Fig. 11. Elephas primigenius, Blum. (^ nat. size.) Last lower molar. From the 



railway cutting at Liittingen, near Hauenstein on the Rhine. 

 Fig. 12. Elephas antiquus, Falc. Last lower molar. From Diirnten. (4 nat. size.) 



They tell of a period when the climate became colder, and when 

 the Alpine chain, undenuded by atmospheric agencies, raised its 

 summits to a far higher level than at the present day, and con- 

 sequently its snow-fields were far larger, and its glaciers far longer, 

 and the latter were therefore able to advance further into the Swiss 

 valleys and piled up upon the Diirnten lignites moraines of formid- 

 able size. Similar deposits are also to be seen at Utznach. 



