OF THE SPREAD OF THE EUROPEAN FAUNA. 



105 



the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irisli Sea, woukl 

 all be land areas with the exception of a long lake between 

 Ireland and the Isle of Man, giving a river Ho wing to the south 

 between Ireland and Cornwall. 



It is also concluded that much of Central and Southern 

 Europe was covered by a sea in which the Miocene beds of 

 those areas were deposited and above whicli the present Alpine 

 mountainous region displayed itself only by some low hills. 



The Mediterranean Sea would then be two or three inland 

 seas or lakes, with Greece united to Syria, Sicily united to 

 Africa, and Sardinia and Corsica to France. No Straits of 

 Gibraltar would have existed, for the South of Spain would have 

 been joined to the North of Africa by a land area that would 

 include the Balearic Islands, but it would be cut off from 

 Europe by a sea or straits occupying the present valley of the- 

 Guadalquivir, and the North of Africa would have beem 

 separated from equatorial Africa by the Sahara Sea, which 

 there is evidence for concluding continued until recent times. 



In the east, the Aralo-Caspian area has been occupied by a 

 great sea which there is reason to believe extended north- 

 wards to the Arctic Ocean ; while the Baltic marine area 

 would extend to the White Sea on the north-east and cover the 

 lower lands of the Scandinavian peninsula to the west. 



Far to the north, and curving westwards round the northern 

 end of the Western Ocean, there would have been a land area 

 joining the then narrow l)ut lofty Scandinavian land by way of 

 Spitzbergen to Greenland and the American continent. At the 

 same time, probably all Northern Europe, from Denmark east- 

 wards, would have been under water. 



But after the Miocene period, the central and southern parts 

 of Europe were elevated, and continued to rise until the previous 

 low hills in a watery plain gradually became an extensive hilly 

 region ; and then a great series of mountain ranges on elevated 

 land forming the Pyrenean, Alpine and Balkan region, whicli 

 is now the distinguishing feature of Central Europe. A land 

 communication was thus established between France, Germany 

 and Asia, south of the Caspian Sea. 



The North-Eastern Sea appears to have advanced westwards 

 .and southwards as far as the eastern parts of England, and the 

 Great Western Sea we call the Atlantic, advanced eastwards to 

 the present shores of Portugal, Spain and France, with an 

 incursion between Ireland and Cornwall along the direction of 

 the Bristol Channel, and another between England and France 

 along the direction of the English Channel. 



H 2 



