Page:Early Man in Britain and His Place in the Tertiary Period.djvu/176

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To this list of the new species must be added the Alpine hare of Scotland and Ireland, which most probably arrived in Britain along wdth the other arctic mammalia, and possibly also the rabbit, although the evidence offered by the frequent discovery of its remains in the caverns is rendered doubtful by its burrowing habits.

The arctic mammalia in this latest phase of the Pleistocene period were in full possession of the land, and the only two survivors from the Pleiocene age are the extinct Machairodus latidens and the hippopotamus.

The remains of the late Pleistocene animals lie scattered over a large area in Britain, and it is necessary to conclude from their presence that our country formed part of the mainland of Europe at that time. This hypothesis is proved by their occurrence in various places now covered by the sea, as, for example, the