102 Proceeding^i of the Royal Irhh Academy. 



Mountains to tlie British Isles, to Iceland and Greenland on tlie one 

 hand, and to Spitzbergen on the other." 



This depression by which the Arctic became continuous ^rith the 

 iN'orth Sea, caused it also to become connected with the Atlantic. 



('p. 73.) — He says : " The Atlantic line at that time may be taken 

 to be marked by the steep slopes passing downwards fi'om the 100 

 fathom line, to the 300 or 400 fathom line, which imply that a land 

 barrier was in that position for a very long period. 



"It would make veiy little difference in the map of Pliocene 

 Britain (and Ireland) if we were to take the western coast line to be 

 marked by the 300 fathom instead of the 100 fathom line." 



(p. 75.) — He shows the evidence of icebergs at that period off the 

 coast of Great Britain, and the submergence of the tract of land 

 uniting Ireland with the continent of Miocene Europe, by which 

 cui'rents of cold water from the Polar regions obtained free access to the 

 iN'orth Sea of the Pliocene Age, from which they had been before shut 

 out by a barrier of land. 



(p. 93.) — He states that, as evidence stands at present, the 

 Geological record is silent as to man's appearance in Europe in the 

 Pliocene age. 



(p. 94.) — Speaking of the Pleistocene Age, he says : " IS'ew 

 Mammals now appear belonging for the most part to living species. 

 Their remains were associated with human implements in such a 

 manner as to show that man was a member of the fauna which 

 characterises the Pleistocene Period of this quarter of the world." 



(p. 110.) — Describing the great geographical and climatal changes 

 of the period, he says : " Britain must also have fonned part of 

 the mainland. Ireland must also have been united to Britain, to 

 have allowed of the groups of animals (mentioned by him) finding 

 their way so far to the west. The elevation above the present 

 sea-level necessary to account for this distribution of the animals, is 

 not less than 600 feet or 100 fathoms" (fig. 24). The Straits 

 of Gibraltar could not have been in existence when the African 

 elephant ranged as far north as Madrid, and the Caffir cat, African 

 LycLs, and spotted Hyaena sought their prey in the Iberian 

 Peninsula. 



(p. 112.) — He says: "From these considerations, it is evident 

 that Pleistocene Eui'ope must be looked upon aB intimately connected 

 with Africa on the south, and with Asia on the east, and that it 

 offered no barriers to the migration of Asiatic and African animals 

 as far to the west as Britain and Ireland." 



