EOCENE PERIOD 127 



Their teeth, it may be mentioned, were thirty-two in number 

 — as with human beings. 



All these lemurine animals were probably of more or less 

 arboreal habits — and " monkey-puzzlers " had ceased to be 

 a prominent feature of the forests. Some of the creatures 

 can hardly have been such accomplished climbers as forms 

 now living, as they were deficient in grasping power, not 

 being able to oppose the thumb to the other digits (Pelycodus). 



Later in the Period new types of lemur-hke animals 

 appeared. All of these were much more numerously toothed 

 than lemurs now living. Some of them, to judge by their 

 skulls, were developing into apes (Adapis). 



Some quite recent discoveries in the Fayum of Egypt (Dr. 

 Max Schlosser, 1910) prove the existence in late Eocene 

 times of some transitional creatures of a more monkey 

 character (Parapithecus). And some forms (Propliopithecus) 

 may have belonged to a stock whence sprang two lines of 

 evolution, one leading to anthropoid apes, one to human 

 beings. 



The peace and quiet of herbivorous mammals must often carnivores 

 have been disturbed by carnivores. Small " flesh-toothed," 

 bear-like forms were, it may be remembered, living at the 

 commencement of the Period. As herbivorous mammals 

 increased in number and variety, so also did their natural 

 foes. The latter in mid-Eocene times were doubtless closely 

 approaching the status of true carnivores ; but they were 

 less effectively toothed than later forms, as none of their 

 back teeth had as yet been so highly modified to tearing uses. 

 In outward form many of them more or less resembled 

 wolves, hysenas, polecats, and civets (Pachycena, Sinopa, 

 Stypolophus, PalcBonictis, Proviverra, etc.) ; and in the 

 matter of speed they were doubtless superior to their more 

 or less flat-footed forerunners. Their intelligence, no doubt, 

 was being developed owing to the skiU and cunning they had 

 to practise in order to get a living. They were, however, 

 small-brained animals, resembhng in this respect their far- 

 back marsupial ancestors, and falling, therefore, far short 

 of the brain power of modern carnivores. 



In North America strange forms were abroad. Some of 



