There was also almost certainly land stretching from Ireland 

 and Scotland by way of the Faroe Islands and Iceland to Green- 

 land, thus cutting off the cold waters of the norfcliern Seas from 

 those of the present Atlantic. In this way we can account for the 

 warmer climate of that period as shown by the character of the 

 vegetation. Indeed along this pathway (which is now traceable as 

 a submarine ridge) our best authorities tell us the Eocene flora 

 travelled from the Arctic Eegions which then had a subtropical 

 climate. 



While water was doing its work there was great volcanic activity 

 in the north of Ireland and along the west of Scotland, and this 

 continued far on through the next two periods ; the remains of the 

 volcanoes are to be seen in Mull, Eig, Skye, and other parts of 

 the Hebrides. Their present ruinous condicion (for they are mere 

 stumps) points to the enormous time that has elapsed ; and the 

 lavas themselves are now scored out into numerous valleys, water- 

 courses and riverbeds, showing a plenteous rainfall. 



The earliest of the Eocene deposits, as those of the period 

 succeeding the chalk are called, are those known as the Tlianet 

 Bands, laid down when the sea had again slightly encroached on 

 the south east. It then gradually advanced, and occasionally 

 through upheaval receded, until as the map shows, in the time of 

 the deposit of the London Clay it covered the Avhole of south-east 

 England from the Wash to Dorsetshire, and stretched over the 

 north-east of France. The deposits are sometimes marine, but 

 oftener estuarine, or freshwater — a proof of a series of minor 

 elevations and depressions. The Isle of Sheppey yields us remains 

 of palms and gigantic pines ; also the skull of a bird (Odontopteryx) ' 

 having regular toothlike projections along the edge of the 

 mandible. Bournemouth, in Hants, has yielded a large supply of 

 leaves and other plant remains buried during this period. They 

 are so abundant and well preserved that we can form a good idea 

 of the nature of the locality and of the changes it passed through. 

 We notice in Eocene deposits the appearance of the placental 

 Mammalia, all those before having been marsupials. Some of the 

 forms partake of the characters of both divisions. These all made 

 their way across by means of the laud connection on the south 

 with the plains of France, One of the most striking facts in 

 connection with this period is the sudden, apparently abnormal 

 increase in the numbers of the mammalia. Some of these are 

 shown on the next slide ; the Quadrumana are represented by a 

 kind of Lemur, a family now found in Madagascar ; the Paloeo- 

 therium and Anaplotherium among the hoofed animals, and the 

 Xiphodon, a lighter deer like form of the same group. The land- 

 scape on the next slide gives an ideal restoration of the general 



