186 
THE TERTIARY AGE, AND 
data for such a decision, lie at once pronounced 
them to be the remains of some extinct animal 
preceding the present geological age. Here, 
then, at his very door, as it were, was a settle- 
ment of that old creation in which he could pur- 
sue the inquiry, already become so important in 
its bearings. It was not long before other bones 
of the same kind were found, though nothing as 
yet approaching an entire skeleton. However, 
with such means as he had, Cuvier began a com- 
parison with all the living Mammalia, — with the 
human skeleton first, with Monkeys, with the 
larger Carnivora and Ruminants, then with all 
the smaller Mammalia, then with the Pachy- 
derms ; and here, for the first time, he began to 
find some resemblance. He satisfied himself that 
the animal must have belonged to the family of 
Pachyderms ; and he then proceeded to analyze 
and compare all the living species, till he had col- 
lected ample evidence to show that the bones in 
question did not correspond with any species, and 
could not even be referred to any genus, now in 
existence. At length there was discovered at 
Montmartre an upper jaw of the same animal, — 
next a lower jaw, matching the upper one, and 
presently a whole head with a few backbones 
was brought to light. These were enough, with 
Cuvier’s vast knowledge of animal structure, to 
give him a key to the whole skeleton. At about 
