eed, some caves,
such as the Kirkdale Cavern in Yorkshire, were dens inhabited
during long periods by these animals, and thus contain the remains
of numerous individuals and of successive generations of Hyaenas,
together with innumerable gnawed and bitten bones of their prey.
That the Cave-hyaena was a contemporary with Man in Western Europe
during Post-Glacial times is shown beyond a doubt by the common
association of its bones with human implements.

[Illustration: Fig. 269.--Skull of _Hyoena speloea_, one-fourth
of the natural size. Post-Phocene, Europe.]

Lastly, the so-called Cave-lion (_Felis speloea_), long supposed
to be a distinct species, has been shown to be nothing more than
a large variety of the existing Lion (_Felis leo_). This animal
inhabited Britain and Western Europe in times posterior to the
Glacial period, and was a contemporary of the Cave-hyaena, Cave-bear,
Woolly Rhinoceros, and Mammoth. The Cave-lion also unquestionably
survived into the earlier portion of the human period in Europe.

The Post-Pliocene deposits of Europe have further yielded the
remains of numerous _Rodents_--such as the Beaver, the Northern
Lemming, Marmots, Mice, Voles, Rabbits, &c.--together with the
gigantic extinct Beaver known as the _Trogontherium Cuvieri_
(fig. 270). The great _Castoroides Ohioensis_ of the Post-Pliocene
of North America is also a great extinct Beaver, which reached
a length of about five feet. Lastly, the Brazilian bone-caves
have yielded the remains of numerous Rodents of types now
characteristic of South America, such as Guinea-pigs, Capybaras,
tree-inhabiting Porcupines, and Coypus.

[Illustration: Fig. 270.--Lower jaw of _Trogontherium Cuvieri_,
one-fourth of the natural size. Post-Pliocene, Britain.]

The deposits just alluded to have further yielded the remains of
various Monkeys, such as Howling Monkeys, Squirrel Monkeys, and
Marmosets, all of which belong to the group of _Quadrumana_ which
is now exclusively confined to the South American continent--namely,
the "Platyrhine" Monkeys.

We still have very briefly to consider the occurrence of Man
in Post-Pliocene deposits; but before doing so, it will be well
to draw attention to the evidence afforded by the Post-Pliocene
Mammals as to the climate of Western Europe at this period. The
chief point which we have to notice is, that a considerable
revolution of opinion has taken place on this point. It was
originally believed that the presence