Page:The origin of continents and oceans - Wegener, tr. Skerl - 1924.djvu/99



HE palæontological and biological proofs of a former connection of the continents under consideration are extremely numerous, so much so that it is impossible to give a statement on them in the compass of the present book. Meanwhile these matters have already often been dealt with in their relation to the geographical distribution of plants and animals, especially by the adherents of the land-bridge hypothesis, so that only a general reference to the literature will be given. Therefore we can confine ourselves to a general synopsis and the selection of a few especially important facts.

The question whether a connection has prevailed between two continents will frequently be answered in different ways by specialists in different directions, because each of them tends to generalize the results of his own particular field of research. It was therefore a happy thought of Arldt, when trying to obtain a synopsis on broader lines, to take a vote on each land-bridge and each period from the various specialists. It goes without saying that this procedure gives rise to many uncertainties. But any other way seems scarcely possible, because of the vast