444 PROCEEDINGS OJP THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [June 5, 



typical of the European Pliocene *. The animals identified by him 

 in the museums of Italy are as follows : — 



Felis. Elephas meridionalis. 



Hvffina. Rhinoceros etruscus. 



Machjerodus cultridens. K. megarhinus. 



Mastodon avvernensis. K. hemitcechus. 



M. Borsoni. Hippopotamus major. 

 Elephas antiquus. 



All these animals, with the exception of Wiinoceros hemitcechus, 

 have been discovered in the Pseudo-pliocene of Issoire, while the 

 Megarhine Ehinoceros and Mastodon arvernensis are the only two 

 which have been obtained from the marine sands of Montpellier„ 

 The Pliocene animals, therefore, inhabiting Northern Italy are more 

 closely allied to those of Auvergne than to those of Montpellier. 



If these three localities be taken as typical of the Pliocene strata, 

 we shall find that several of the species range as far north as Britain, 

 and occur in deposits which, from the evidence of the mollusca, have 

 been assigned to that age. Mastodon arvernensis, Elephas meridi- 

 onalis, and Ursus arvernensis, have been obtained from the old land- 

 surface which underlies the sand and shingle of the Norfolk Crag, 

 in company with many forms of Deer and Antelopes which have 

 not yet been identified, while the Hipparion is found in the marine 

 crags of Suffolk. 



The animals which especially characterize the Pliocene strata of 

 Europe are Machcerodus cultridens, Mastodon arvernensis, and M. 

 Borsoni, besides the genus Tapir. 



If this Pliocene fauna be compared with that of the Preglacial 

 Forest-bed, it will be seen that the difference between them is very 

 great. The Pliocene Mastodon Tapir, the majority of the Cer- 

 vidse, and the Antelopes are replaced by forms such as the Roe 

 and the Red Deer, unknown up to that time. Nevertheless many of 

 the Pliocene animals were able to hold their ground against ,the 

 Pleistocene invaders, although, subsequently, as I have already 

 shown, they disappeared one by one, being ultimately beaten in the 

 struggle for existence by the new comers. The progress of this 

 struggle has been used in the preceding pages as a means of classi- 

 fication. 



20. CoNCLtrSION. 



The following are the salient points of the Pleistocene age offered 

 by the study of the land Mammalia in the area north of the Alps, 

 and Pyrenees, 



The Pleistocene Period. 



A. The latest stage. 



PaliBolithic Man. Stag, comparatively rare. 



B. tinhorinus, abundant. Northern forms of life in full 

 Elephas primigenius, abundant. possession of area north of 



Reindeer, abundant. Alps and Pyrenees. 



* Palseont. Mem. vol. ii. pp. 189, 190. 



