226 Reviews- — Prof, A. Gaudry — The Evolution of Mammalia. 



to be noted that while all the common living types have representa- 

 tive species in a fossil state, many date to the Pliocene period. And 

 many of the extinct genera serve to bridge over the intei-val be- 

 tween surviving animals. Thus the Miocene genus AmpMcyon, with 

 a number of the most striking characteristics of Dogs, yet was a 

 plantigrade animal like the Bears, probably able to climb, and 

 resembled bears in minor dental characters. Again, Hijcmarctos 

 is between the Bears and AmpMcyon, having an inner row of denticles 

 to the teeth. In the same way Cynodon from the Phosphorites of 

 Quercy completely bridges over the gap in dentition between the Civets 

 and the Dogs. Hyaenas, in the same manner, are shown to have been 

 closely related to the Civets by means of the fossil genera Ictitherium 

 and Ifycenictis ; the former is a modified Civet with four digits like 

 Hygena, and producing similar coprolites ; while the latter is a 

 modified Hygena, closely approaching Ictitherium. The Martens are 

 represented in Miocene times by European and American genera, 

 but these do not make such striking approximations to the Civets as 

 to altogether break down the distinction between the two groups. 

 Some remarkable fossil genera, like Machoerodus, have left no descen- 

 dants. The author inclines to believe that carnivorous animals may 

 perhaps be descended from the Herbivora, pointing out that Bears 

 most nearly resemble the Pachyderms. 



The last chapter deals with Lemurs and Apes, The oldest lemur 

 is Ccenopithecus from the Eocene, and from Quercy there are several 

 lemurs which show affinities with the Ungulata, suggesting a com- 

 mon origin for lemurs and several of the Eocene pachyderms. This 

 is also strongly indicated by the fact that Cuvier arranged the 

 lemurine genus Adapts with the Pachyderms, and that Gervais 

 provisionally classed the Lemur Aphelotherium near to Pachyderms. 



Some of the earlier Apes also appear to have affinities with Pachy- 

 derms ; this is seen in CehocTicerus from the lignites of Debruge ; and 

 the conclusion that Hyracotherium presents some ape-like characters 

 is supported by the fact that our illustrious anatomist, Prof. Owen, 

 described, from the London Clay, some teeth as those of a monkey 

 which he was afterwards led to refer to that genus. The teeth of 

 Oreopitheciis, from the Miocene of Italy, show some resemblances to 

 Chceropotamus. True apes, and anthropomorphous apes, date from 

 the Middle Miocene. The apes include SemnopitJieciis from the 

 Sewalik Hills and Montpellier, and Mesopithecus from Pikermi, 

 which appears to have been gregarious, and to have been a walker 

 rather than a climber. This latter genus is intermediate between 

 Semnopithecus and the Macaques. The anthropomorphous apes in- 

 clude Fliopithecus and Dryopithecus, the latter being of a very high 

 type, but differed from Man in many points, especially in the large 

 size of the canines in the males. Finally, a number of observers 

 have recorded from the Miocene bones which show cuts such as 

 might have been made by Man, and although the believers in these 

 supposed evidences of the antiquity of our race are few, the evi- 

 dence is supported by the occurrence of flint knives and other flint 

 weapons in the Middle Miocene of Beauce. But the interval is so 

 great between these beds and the post-glacial gravels, and the 



