508 THE TERTIARY PERIOD 



Bavaria, as far east as Hungary and Dalmatia. The Ural Sea was 

 drained and Europe united with Asia. 



Oligocene Life 



Plants. — The shales of Florissant have yielded a very rich 

 flora, which resembles that of the Eocene in general character, 

 though with some marked differences. One such difference is 

 the abundance of Conifers at Florissant, among them Sequoia, 

 which have not been found in the American Eocene, and another 

 is the great rarity of Palms. The flora is of a warm temperate, 

 but not at all subtropical character. In Europe the Oligocene 

 vegetation of the south is still subtropical, and contains an increas- 

 ing number of plants like those which at present inhabit the warmer 

 parts of North America. In northern Europe there is a change in 

 the flora, palms being less common than they had been before. 



Animals. — The Insects of Florissant are very numerous, and 

 differ little from modern forms. They, like the plants and the 

 Fishes of the same locality, resemble those now found in the 

 warmer parts of the United States. 



The White River beds contain a wonderfully rich and varied 

 vertebrate fauna, and one which is very closely related to the 

 contemporary fauna of Europe. The Reptiles show a great 

 change from the Eocene ; the large Crocodiles, which were so 

 common, have vanished from the northern interior, and only 

 one small and rare species has been found. The Turtles are 

 still numerous, but not nearly so varied as in the Eocene. 



Mammals have been preserved in astonishing numbers, and 

 though they are much like those of the Uinta, they show great 

 progress since that time. The true Carnivores now become abun- 

 dant, represented by primitive Dogs, Sabre-tooth Cats, and Wea- 

 sels, the latter family much more numerous in Europe, where 

 also occur Civet-cats, a family that never reached America. The 

 true Carnivores have displaced the Creodonts, which have all died 

 out, except two curious genera, Hycenodon and Pterodon.. The 

 Lemurs and Monkeys (with one doubtful exception) have also 

 disappeared from North America. Perissodactyls are still very 



