LIFE OF TERTIARY PERIOD 201 



the huge gi'ound-sloths and armadillos of the Pampas. There 

 were numerous kangaroos, some much lar<Ter than any liv- 

 ing, including species allied to the tree-kangaroos of New 

 Guinea; a Phascolomjs (wombat) as large as a donkey; the 

 Diprotodon, a thick-limbed animal nearly as large as an 

 elephant, but allied both to the kangaroos and the phalangor>. 

 Equally remarkable was the Tliylacoleo carnifex, nearly as 

 large as a lion and with remarkable teeth (Fig. 03, p. 258). 

 The very peculiar Xototherium, allied to the wombats, was 

 nearly as large as a rhinoceros; and several others imperfectly 

 known indicate that they were of larger size than their nearest 

 living allies. 



A number of very similar facts are presented by recently 

 extinct birds. The Moas of ^ew Zealand were of various 

 sizes, but the largest was 8% feet high when standing natu- 

 rally, but when raising its body and neck to the fullest extent 

 it would have perhaps reached to a height of 12 feet. 



In Madagascar also there was a huge bird, the ^pyornis, 

 which was probably larger than the largest of the Moas, and 

 whose egg, frequently found in sand-hills, sometimes measures 

 3 feet by 2% feet in circumference, and will hold more than 

 two gallons. It is almost certain that these huge birds were 

 all coeval with early man, and in the case of the Moas this 

 has been completely proved by finding their bones in ancient 

 native cooking ovens. It is probable, therefore, that their 

 final extinction was due to human agency. 



Probable Cause of Extinction of the Pleistocejie Mammalia 



The complete extinction of many of the largest Mammalia, 

 which were abundant in almost all parts of the world in 

 Pleistocene times, has not yet received a wholly satisfactory 

 explanation. The fact that the phenomenon is so near to 

 our own era renders it more striking than similar occurrences 

 in remote ages. With the one exception of the glacial e]><^ch, 

 there has been very little modification of tlie earth's surface 

 since the close of the Tertiary era ; and in several cases species 



