The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ...
The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ... The geographical distribution of animals, with a study of the relations ...
;130 DISTRIBUTION OF EXTINCT ANIMALS. [part ii.than wolves ; two species of Galera, a genus now confined to theNeotropical region; two bears, and an extinct genus, Arctodusan extinct species of racoon (Procyon), and an allied extinctgenus, Myxophagus— show, that at a very recent period NorthAmerica was better supplied with Carnivora than it is now.Remains of the walrus (Trichechus) have also been found as farsouth as Virginia.Cetacea.—Three species of dolphins belonging to existinggenera, have been found in the Eastern States ;ofManatus, or sea-cow, in Florida and South Carolina.and two speciesUngulata.—Six extinct horses {Equus), and one Hipparionthe living South American tapir, and a larger extinct species ; aDicotyles, or peccary, and an allied genus, Platygonus ;of the South American llamas (Auchenia), and onea speciesof a kind ofcamel, Procamclus ; two extinct bisons ; a sheep, and two musksheep(Ovibos) ;with three living and one extinct deer (Cervus),show an important increase in its Herbivora.Proboseidea.—Two elephants and two mastodons, added to thisremarkable assemblage of large vegetable-feeding quadrupeds.Bodentia.—These consist mainly of genera and species stillliving in North America ;the only important exceptions being aspecies of the South American capybara (Hydrochcerus) in SouthCarolina ;and Praotherium, an extinct form of hare, found in abone cave in Pennsylvania.Pde?itata.—Rere we meet with a wonderful assemblage, of sixspecies belonging to four extinct genera, mostly of gigantic size.A species of Megatherium, three of Megalonyx, and one ofMylodon—huge terrestrial sloths as large as the rhinocerosor even as the largest elephants—ranged over the SouthernStates to Pennsylvania, the latter {Mylodon) going as far as thegreat lakes and Oregon. Another form, Ereptodon, has beenfound in the Mississippi Valley.Marsupialia.—The living American genus of opossums, Didelphys,has been found in deposits of this age in South Carolina.Remarks on thePost-Pliocene fauna of .North America.—Theassemblage of animals proved, by these remains, to have
chap. VII.] MAMMALIA OF THE NEW WORLD. 131inhabited North America at a comparatively recent epoch, ismost remarkable. In Europe, we found a striking changein the fauna at the same period; but that consisted almostwholly in the presence of animals now inhabiting countriesimmediately to the north or south. Here we have the appearanceof two new assemblages of animals, the one now confinedto the Old World—horses, camels, and elephants ; theother exclusively of South American type—Hamas, tapirs,capybaras, Galera, and gigantic Edentata. The age of thevarious deposits in which these remains are found is somewhatuncertain, and probably extends over a considerable period oftime, inclusive of the Glacial epoch, and perhaps both anteriorand subsequent to it. We have here, as in Europe, the presenceand apparent co-existence in the same area, of Arctic andSouthern forms—the walrus and the manatee— the musksheepand the gigantic sloths. Unfortunately, as we shall see,the immediately preceding Pliocene depositsof North Americaare rather poor in organic remains ;yet it can hardly be owingto the imperfection of the record of this period,the South American types above numerated occursthat not one ofthere, whilea considerable number of Old World forms are represented.Neither in the preceding wonderfully rich Miocene or Eoceneperiods, does any one of these forms occur ;or, with the exceptionof Morotherium, from Pliocene deposits west of the RockyMountains, any apparent ancestor of them ! Wehave hereunmistakable evidence of an extensive immigration from Southinto North America, not very long before the beginning of theGlacial epoch. It was an immigration of types altogether newto the country, which spread over all the southern and centralportions of it, and established themselves sufficiently to leaveabundance of remains in the few detached localities where theyhave been discovered. How such large yet defenceless animalsas tapirs and great terrestrial sloths, could have made their wayinto a country abounding in large felines equal in size anddestructiveness to the lion and the tiger, with numerous wolvesand bears of the largest size, is a great mystery. But it isnevertheless certain that they did so ;and the fact that no such
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;130 DISTRIBUTION OF EXTINCT ANIMALS. [part ii.than wolves ; two species <strong>of</strong> Galera, a genus now confined to <strong>the</strong>Neotropical region; two bears, and an extinct genus, Arctodusan extinct species <strong>of</strong> racoon (Procyon), and an allied extinctgenus, Myxophagus— show, that at a very recent period NorthAmerica was better supplied <strong>with</strong> Carnivora than it is now.Remains <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> walrus (Trichechus) have also been found as farsouth as Virginia.Cetacea.—Three species <strong>of</strong> dolphins belonging to existinggenera, have been found in <strong>the</strong> Eastern States ;<strong>of</strong>Manatus, or sea-cow, in Florida and South Carolina.and two speciesUngulata.—Six extinct horses {Equus), and one Hipparion<strong>the</strong> living South American tapir, and a larger extinct species ; aDicotyles, or peccary, and an allied genus, Platygonus ;<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South American llamas (Auchenia), and onea species<strong>of</strong> a kind <strong>of</strong>camel, Procamclus ; two extinct bisons ; a sheep, and two musksheep(Ovibos) ;<strong>with</strong> three living and one extinct deer (Cervus),show an important increase in its Herbivora.Proboseidea.—Two elephants and two mastodons, added to thisremarkable assemblage <strong>of</strong> large vegetable-feeding quadrupeds.Bodentia.—<strong>The</strong>se consist mainly <strong>of</strong> genera and species stillliving in North America ;<strong>the</strong> only important exceptions being aspecies <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> South American capybara (Hydrochcerus) in SouthCarolina ;and Prao<strong>the</strong>rium, an extinct form <strong>of</strong> hare, found in abone cave in Pennsylvania.Pde?itata.—Rere we meet <strong>with</strong> a wonderful assemblage, <strong>of</strong> sixspecies belonging to four extinct genera, mostly <strong>of</strong> gigantic size.A species <strong>of</strong> Mega<strong>the</strong>rium, three <strong>of</strong> Megalonyx, and one <strong>of</strong>Mylodon—huge terrestrial sloths as large as <strong>the</strong> rhinocerosor even as <strong>the</strong> largest elephants—ranged over <strong>the</strong> Sou<strong>the</strong>rnStates to Pennsylvania, <strong>the</strong> latter {Mylodon) going as far as <strong>the</strong>great lakes and Oregon. Ano<strong>the</strong>r form, Ereptodon, has beenfound in <strong>the</strong> Mississippi Valley.Marsupialia.—<strong>The</strong> living American genus <strong>of</strong> opossums, Didelphys,has been found in deposits <strong>of</strong> this age in South Carolina.Remarks on <strong>the</strong>Post-Pliocene fauna <strong>of</strong> .North America.—<strong>The</strong>assemblage <strong>of</strong> <strong>animals</strong> proved, by <strong>the</strong>se remains, to have
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