Lull — Development of Vertebrate Paleontology. 197 



The mammals were, perhaps, the most prolific source 

 of paleontological research during the nineteenth cen- 

 tury, for, as Zittel has said, Cuvier's famous investiga- 

 tions on the fossil bones, mentioned above, not only 

 contain the principles of comparative osteology, but also 

 show in a manner which has never been surpassed how 

 fossil vertebrates ought to be studied, and what. are the 

 broad inductions which may be drawn from a series of 

 methodical observations. Such was Cuvier's influence 

 that until Darwin began to interest himself in mammalian 

 paleontology the study of these forms was conducted 

 entirely along the lines indicated by the French savant. 

 This was seen in a large work, Osteology of Eecent and 

 Fossil Mammalia, by De Blainville, which, although not 

 up to the standard set by the master, is nevertheless a 

 notable contribution, as was also the Osteology prepared 

 by Pander and D 'Alton/ A summary of the knowledge of 

 the fossil Mammalia up to the year 1847 is contained in 

 GiebePs Fauna der Vorwelt, and Lydekker has done for 

 the mammals in the British Museum what Smith "Wood- 

 ward did for the fishes, producing vastly more than the 

 mere catalogue which the title implies. 



The first work wherein the fossil mammals were 

 treated genealogically was Gaudry's Enchainements du 

 Monde Animal, written in 1878. Other work on the 

 fossil Mammalia was done by Kaup, who described those 

 from the Mainz basin and from Epplesheim near Worms 

 whence came one of the most famous of prehistoric 

 horses, the Hipparion; this horse, together with the 

 remarkable proboscidean Dinotheriuni, was described by 

 Von Meyer. One of the most remarkable discoveries, 

 ranking in importance, perhaps, next to Montmartre, was 

 that of the Pliocene fauna of Pikermi near Athens, 

 Greece, first made known through the publications of A. 

 Wagner of Munich and later, and much more extensively, 

 through that of Gaudry (1862-1867). H. von Meyer was 

 Germany's best authority on fossil Mammalia. After 

 his death the work was carried on by Quenstedt, Oscar 

 Fraas, Schlosser, Koken, and Pohlig, among others. 



In France, rich deposits of fossil mammals were dis- 

 covered in the Department of Puy-de-D6me, the Rhone 

 basin, Sansan, Quercy, and near Rheims. These were 

 described by a number of writers, notably Croizet and 

 Jobert, Pomel, Lartet, Filhol, and Lemoine. 



