The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ...

chap, vi.] MAMMALIA OF THE OLD WORLD. 123of mastodons ranged over India, their remains being found in allthe deposits from the Siwalik Hills to Burmah. A large Dinotheriumhas also been found at Perim Island.Beptiles.—Many remains of birds were found, but these havenot been determined. Reptiles were numerous and interesting,the most remarkable being the huge tortoise, Golossochclys, whoseshell was twelve feet long and head and neck eight feet more.Other small tortoises of the genera Testudo, Emys, Trionyxand Emydida were found, the Emys being a living species.There were three extinct and one living species of crocodile,and one of them was larger than any now living. The onlyother reptile of importance was a large lizard of the genusVaranus.General Observations on the Miocene faunas of Europe andAsia.— Comparing the three faunas of approximately the sameperiod, and allowing for the necessarily imperfect record ofeach, we find a wonderful similarity of general type over theenormous areabetween France on the west and the Irawaddyriver in Burmah on the east. We may even extend our comparisonto Northern China, where remains of Hywna, Tapir,Rhinoceros, Chalicotherium, and Elephas, have been recentlyfound, closely resembling those from the Miocene or Pliocenedeposits of Europe or India, and showing that the Palasarcticregion had then the same great extent from west to eastthat it has now. Of about forty genera comprised in theIndian Miocene fauna, no less than twenty-seven inhabitedCentral and Western Europe during the same epoch. The IndianMiocene fossils are much what we should expect as the forerunnersof the existing fauna, the giraffes and hippopotamibeing the only additions from the present Ethiopian fauna.The numerous forms of the restricted bovine type, show thatthese probably originated in India ; while the monkeys appearto be altogether of Oriental types.In Europe, however, we meet with a totally different assemblageof animals from those that form the existing fauna. Wefind apes and monkeys, many large Felidse, numerous civets