with the Woolly Rhinoceros
and the Mammoth; but it long survived these, and does not appear
to have been finally exterminated till about the twelfth century.
Another remarkable member of the Post-Pliocene Cattle, also to
begin with an associate of the Mammoth and Rhinoceros, is the
European Bison or "Aurochs" (_Bison priscus_). This "maned" ox
formerly abounded in Europe in Post-Glacial times, and was not
rare even in the later periods of the Roman empire, though much
diminished in numbers, and driven back into the wilder and more
inaccessible parts of the country. At present this fine species
has been so nearly exterminated that it no longer exists in Europe
save in Lithuania, where its preservation has been secured by
rigid protective laws. Lastly, the Post-Pliocene deposits have
yielded the remains of the singular living animal which is known
as the Musk-ox or Musk-sheep (_Ovibos moschatus_). At the present
day, the Musk-ox is an inhabitant of the "barren grounds" of
Arctic America, and it is remarkable for the great length of
its hair. It is, like the Reindeer, a distinctively northern
animal; but it enjoyed during the Glacial period a much wider
range than it has at the present day, the conditions suitable
for its existence being then extended over a considerable portion
of the northern hemisphere. Thus remains of the Musk-Ox are found
in greater or less abundance in Post-Pliocene deposits over a
great part of Europe, extending even to the south of France;
and closely-related forms are found in similar deposits in the
United States.

[Illustration: Fig. 266.--Skeleton of the Mammoth (_Elephas
primigenius_). Portions of the integument still adhere to the
head, and the thick skin of the soles is still attached to the
feet. Post-Pliocene.]

Coming to the _Proboscideans_, we find that the _Mastodons_ seem
to have disappeared in Europe at the close of the Pliocene period,
or at the very commencement of the Post-Pliocene. In the New World,
on the other hand, a species of Mastodon (_M. Americanus_ or _M.
Ohioticus_) is found abundantly in deposits of Post-Pliocene
age, from Canada to Texas. Very perfect skeletons of this species
have been exhumed from morasses and swamps, and large individuals
attained a length (exclusive of the tusks) of seventeen feet and
a height of eleven feet, the tusks being twelve feet in length.
Remains of _Elephants_ are also abundant in the Post-Pliocene
deposits of both the Old and the New