The remains of Mammalia discovered in a fossil state include an immense number of species, and furnish examples of almost every living genus, and of numerous genera, and even orders, of which no existing species are known. Yet amidst the vast accumulations of the skeletons of the higher orders of vertebrata contained in the tertiary deposits, and in the superficial drift, belonging to species which have successively appeared on the surface of our planet, flourished for indefinite periods of time, and then become annihilated, no vestiges of Man, or of his works, have been detected. Human skeletons, naturally imbedded, have hitherto only been observed in the silt of modern alluvial plains, The geological distribution of fossil mammalia, The fossil remains of Mammalia will be considered under the following heads:—
FOSSIL WHALES. The fossil remains of Cetaceans have, for the most part, been observed in alluvial silt and beds of drift, in valleys still traversed by rivers; but many examples have been discovered in elevated sea-beaches, proving that, although, Otolithes of Cetaceans.—Petro-tympanic bones of several large whales have been found in great numbers in the red Crag of Felixstow; among them is one of the genus Physeter, or Sperm-Whale. Brighton Fossil Whale.—An interesting discovery of the anterior half of one side of the lower jaw of a Whale, undoubtedly coeval with the extinct Mammoth (Elephas primigenius), was made in 1828 in the Cliff, east of Kemp Town, Brighton, under the following circumstances. On the face of the Cliff, in the ancient shingle which lies immediately upon the chalk and is surmounted by beds of calcareous rubble, containing bones and teeth of Elephants, to the height of one hundred and twenty feet, some fishermen had observed a huge bone, that had been laid bare by an unusually high tide and now projected two or three feet beyond the face of the Cliff. Unable to remove it, they broke off the extremity, a fragment of which was sent to me. Upon repairing to the spot a few days afterwards, I found that the fishermen had renewed their attack, and demolished a considerable portion of the bone in ineffectual attempts to dislodge it from its bed; and had desisted only from the In the fluviatile silt of the valley of the Ouse, near Lewes (Wond. p. 63), the skull of a Porpoise and a portion of the cranium, with the socket of the long straight tooth, of a Narwhal (Monodon monoceros), were found twelve feet beneath the surface of the soil. The bones of an herbivorous Cetacean, the Manatus, a genus now peculiar to the torrid zone, have been found in the eocene strata in various parts of France, associated with those of the PalÆotheria and other extinct mammalia of the Paris basin. ZEUGLODON. Zeuglodon cetoides. Lign. 249. The teeth (Lign. 250) are of two kinds, some having but one fang, and others two, implanted in separate sockets and placed obliquely in the jaw; they are of a compressed, conical form, with an obtuse apex, the crown being deeply conjugate, or contracted in the middle, as shown in the transverse section, Lign. 249, fig. 2. They are devoid of enamel, but the dentine is coated with cement, and their structure is decidedly mammalian; and a microscopical examination, Professor Owen states, incontestably proves their cetacean character. The longitudinal diameter of the middle tooth is three inches. The vertebrÆ resemble those of the large cetacean known by the name of Hyperoodon; a caudal vertebra is figured Lign. 249, fig. 3. The original animal was related to the Dugong and Cacholot, and appears to have held an intermediate place between the latter and the herbivorous species. FOSSIL RUMINANTS. Of the Deer family the relics of several kinds have been discovered in Drift and Caverns. The cave of Kirkdale alone contained the remains of three species. The most celebrated fossil animal of this family is the Gigantic Stag or Deer of Ireland (see Petrif. p. 455; Wond. p. 132), whose bones and antlers are found in immense quantities in superficial marl, in Ireland, in the Isle of Man, and occasionally in England. (Geol. Journ. vol. iv. p. 42.) A skeleton that was found, almost entire, in marl abounding in fresh-water shells, at the depth of twenty feet, is six feet high, nine feet long, and nine and a half feet in height, to the top of the right horn. Some antlers are so large, that the interspace from one point to the other exceeds twelve feet. The Giraffe, the tallest of known quadrupeds, and now restricted to the deserts of Africa, was once a native of Europe and Asia, for fossil bones of a species of this remarkable ruminant have been found at Issoudun, in France, and in the Siwalik mountains, with several varieties of Elk and Deer. Of the Camel, the only ruminant with incisor teeth in the upper jaw, a gigantic species has been discovered by Dr. Falconer and Captain Cautley, in the Siwalik range. In this category we must notice another most interesting discovery of the indefatigable and eminent naturalists above ELEPHANT. MASTODON. Fossil Elephants and Mastodons. Lign. 253, 254, 258-260. Owen’s Hist. Brit. Foss. Mam. p. 217, &c.; Wond. pp. 147, 157.—The bones, The fossil bones and teeth (Pict. Atlas, pl. lxxi. lxxiv.) of these gigantic animals are so abundant, that examples may be found in all the provincial, and in most private collections; and the British Museum possesses an unrivalled series of specimens of both groups of these colossal herbivorous mammalia, namely, the Elephants properly so called and the Mastodons (Petrif. pp. 463, 471). It contains an invaluable series of specimens from the Siwalik hills, presented by Capt. Cautley and Dr. Falconer (Petrif. p. 469); amongst which are remains in which the dental organs present every modification of structure, from that of the mastoid tubercles of the tooth of the Mastodon, to the vertical laminÆ of cement, enamel, and dentine of the Elephant. The Museum also possesses the entire skeleton of the Mastodon (Petrif. Lign. 107) formerly exhibited by M. Koch, It is therefore unnecessary to enlarge upon this subject, for an inspection of a few specimens will afford the student a clearer insight into the structure of the skeletons and teeth of these animals than any description. The form of the teeth, and the disposition of the dental elements, are illustrated in Wond. p. 143, and Ly. p. 159. DINOTHERIUM. Dinotherium. Petrif. p. 474; Wond. p. 173; Bd. i. p. 135, pl. ii.—At Epplesheim, forty miles north-east of Darmstadt, in beds of sand and marl of the median Tertiary formations, the jaws, teeth, skull, and other remains of the Dinothere, one of the most gigantic of terrestrial mammalians, have been discovered; they are preserved in the museum at Darmstadt. The length of the largest species is estimated at eighteen feet. The teeth had previously been found in France, Bavaria, and Austria; and, from their close analogy to those of the Tapir, were described by Cuvier as belonging to an extinct colossal animal of that genus. But subsequent discoveries have shown that the Dinotherium was probably a proboscideal animal, and had two large curved tusks directed downwards in the anterior extremity of the lower jaw. CUVIERIAN PACHYDERMS. Cuvierian Pachyderms. Lign. 255, 256. Owen’s Brit. Foss. Mam. p. 299, &c.; Wond. p. 254; Bd. i. p. 81; Petrif. p. 475.—A large proportion of the numerous bones and teeth which are found in the Tertiary gypseous deposits at Montmartre, near Paris, are referable to the several extinct genera of Pachydermata, which the genius of Cuvier first made known. The PalÆotheria and Anoplotheria must be familiar to the intelligent reader, for the restored outlines of several species are appended to almost every work that treats of the ancient inhabitants of our globe. The details of their anatomical characters are given at length in Oss. Foss. tom. iii., illustrated with numerous plates. The PalÆotheria (Brit. Foss. Mam. p. 316, et seq.) resembled the Tapirs in their head and short proboscis, while their molar teeth approached those of the Rhinoceros, and their feet were divided into three toes, instead of four, as in the Tapirs. Upwards of eleven species have been discovered, varying from the size of the Rhinoceros to that of the Hog. Their remains are extensively diffused in the Upper Eocene strata in various parts of France; and have been found in the Isle of Wight. The Lophiodon (crested-tooth), a genus distinguished from the former by the characters of the teeth, which more nearly resemble those of the Tapirs, comprehends twelve species, all found in the fresh-water Tertiary marls of France. A canine tooth of a species of Lophiodon was found in the London Clay, in sinking a well on Sydenham Common, near the railway. The Anoplotheria have two characters not observed in any other animal, namely feet with two toes (see Lign. 252), the metacarpal and metatarsal bones of which do not unite into a single piece, as is the case in the ruminants; and teeth placed in a continued series without any interval There are also sub-genera, as for example, Xiphodon and Dichobune, characterized by peculiarities of dental and osteological structure; and Anthracotherium (so named from two species having been found in a bed of Anthracite or Lignite, near Savone), a genus intermediate between the PalÆotheria and Hogs. The skeletons of these remarkable In England, no remains of the extinct Pachydermata of the Paris Tertiary strata were discovered until a few years since, and they are still exceedingly rare. There have been found in the fresh-water limestone at Binstead, near Ryde, and at Seafield, Isle of Wight, (see Geol. I. Wight, 1854, Prefat. Note,) teeth and portions of the jaws of two species of Anoplotherium, four of PalÆotherium, and one of ChÆropotamus, an animal allied to the Hog Tribe (Geol. Trans. 2d ser. vol. vi. pl. iv.; and Brit. Foss. Mam. p. 413, &c.). The Hyopotamus (Lign. 257) is a genus of Anthracotherioid pachyderms, two species of which have been determined by Prof. Owen (Quart. Geol. Journ. vol. iv. p. 103, &c.), from specimens of teeth found in the upper eocene of the north-west coast of the Isle of Wight, by the Marchioness of Hastings. The PalÆotherium, Dichobune, Dichodon, Paloplotherium, and others occur in the upper eocene fresh-water deposits of Hordwell Cliff (see Charlesworth’s Journal, No. 1, p. 5, and pl. ii.; Quart. Geol. Journ. vol. iv. p. 17, and pl. iii.; and Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1851, sect. p. 67). Two species of a new genus, intermediate between the Hog and the Hyrax, named by Professor Owen Hyracotherium, have been discovered in the eocene sands at Kyson, in Suffolk, and in the London Clay of the cliffs at Studd Hill, about a mile to the west of Herne Bay. The Paloplotherium, an allied genus, from Hordwell Cliff, is described in Geol. Journ. vol. iv. p. 103. The other large fossil Pachyderms, belonging to the two existing genera of Rhinoceros and Hippopotamus, are found TEETH OF MAMMALIA. Teeth of Mammalia.
HIPPOPOTAMUS. I subjoin (Lign. 261, fig. 1) a figure of the crown of a fossil molar tooth of a Hippopotamus, from Kent’s Cavern, Devonshire; in this specimen the summits of the cusps are worn down by use; and another, fig. 2, representing a perfect molar, with the conical cusps of the crown entire, found in Hertfordshire by W. D. Saull, Esq. The form of the worn surfaces of the molars of the Rhinoceros, HORSE. Fossil Horse. Lign. 263; and Owen’s Brit. Foss. Mam. p. 383, et seq.—The bones and teeth of one or more species of this widely distributed genus are found in the alluvium, in osseous breccia, and in caverns in numerous localities in Europe, Asia, and America. The teeth and bones of the In the Siwalik hills, collocated with the gigantic pachydermata, ruminants, and carnivora, the remains of two or more species of Horse have been discovered. One form (Hippotherium) is remarkably distinguished from any previously known by the extreme length and slenderness of its I legs, in which respect it must have closely resembled the Antelope; it did not surpass in size the common Deer. The Megatherium (Petrif. p. 478, Lign. 112, 113; Wond. p. 167; Bd. p. 139, and pl. v.) is the best known to the general reader, from the graphic exposition of its configuration and habits by Dr. Buckland, and the splendid remains of its skeleton presented to the Hunterian Museum by Sir Woodbine Parish; but this animal is only one of several species of Edentata, equally interesting, and almost rivalling it in magnitude, which the labours of our own naturalists, Sir W. Parish, Mr. Darwin, and Mr. Pentland, GLYPTODON. Glyptodon (sculptured-tooth) clavipes. Lign. 264.—The bony tesselated carapace, or shield, which was formerly assigned to the Megatherium (Bd. i. p. 159) has been proved, The teeth of this animal, which are eight in number on each side of each jaw, are sculptured laterally, by two wide and deep channels (Lign. 264, fig. 1), which divide the grinding surface of the tooth into three portions (Lign. 264, fig. 2). The hind foot is very peculiar (see Lign. 264, fig. 3), presenting an extreme modification of the same general plan of structure as that of the Armadillo. The MYLODON. Mylodon. The dental organs consist of four molars on each side the lower, and five on each side the upper jaw. The teeth are implanted in very deep sockets, and are of the same size and form throughout, with a conical pulp-cavity at the base, indicating that their growth continued during the life of the animal. In structure they resemble those of the Megatherium and Sloth (Bradypus); being composed of a pillar of coarse dentine, traversed by numerous vascular or medullary canals, which is invested with a layer of very fine, dense dentine, with minute calcigerous tubes, and the whole surrounded by a thick coating of cementum: no enamel enters into their composition. (Owen.) In the eocene gypseous strata of France, two species of Dormouse and two of Squirrel have been found. From the tertiary sand at Epplesheim, with the bones of the Dinotherium, Fossil teeth of a species of Porcupine (Hystrix) occur in the pliocene deposits of Tuscany. Of the Beaver (Castor), some undoubted remains have been collected in this country. Those of a species apparently identical with the recent Beaver of the Danube, have been discovered in the fresh-water deposits of Essex, FOSSIL MARSUPIALIA. A species of Didelphys (Opossum) has been discovered in the gypseous limestone of Montmartre, and is figured and described by Cuvier (Oss. Foss. vol. iii. pl. lxxi.; see also Brit. Foss. Mam. p. 76). It consists of a considerable part of the skeleton of a small animal, imbedded in gypsum; the block containing the specimen has been split asunder, and some of the bones are attached to the surface of one moiety, and the remainder to the other. From the character of the jaws and teeth, Cuvier pronounced that the animal was related to the Opossum, and confidently predicted that the two peculiar bones which support the pouch in these animals would be found attached to the fore-part of the pelvis; accordingly he chiselled away the stone, and disclosed these marsupial bones; thus proving the truth of those laws of correlation of structure, which he was the first to enunciate and establish. But as there are true marsupials in which the ossa marsupialia are merely rudimentary, for example, in the Dog-headed Opossum, or "HyÆna" of the Tasmanian colonists (Thylacinus Harrisii), in which they are merely two small, oblong, flattened fibro-cartilages, imbedded in the internal pillars of the abdominal rings, and are only six lines long and three or four lines broad,—it follows that in a fossil state the pelvis of a true marsupial animal may be destitute of those appendages which are commonly supposed to be an essential character of the marsupial skeleton. Thus the fossil pelvis of the Thylacinus, had that species been long ago, as it is soon likely to be, extinct, would not have afforded the certain evidence of its marsupial character to which Cuvier triumphantly appealed in demonstration of the Didelphys of the gypsum quarries of Montmartre; yet the Thylacinus would not therefore have been less essentially a marsupial animal. FOSSIL MAMMALIA. In the Eocene sand at Kyson, near Woodbridge, in Suffolk, among other mammalian remains (Ly. p. 203), Mr. Colchester, of Ipswich, whose researches have been rewarded by many interesting fossils, found a fragment of the jaw, with one premolar tooth having two fangs, of a small animal (Didelphys Colchesteri, Owen); and which Mr. Charlesworth (Curator of the Philosophical Institution of York) ascertained to belong to a marsupial animal allied to the Opossum. But the specimens above described are far surpassed in interest by those discovered in the Triassic Bone-bed of WÜrtemberg and in the Oolite of Stonesfield; the latter consisting of several jaws and teeth of marsupial animals. Triassic Mammalian Teeth.—In the thin layer of rolled bones, teeth, scales, and coprolite, so extensively spread over the top of the Trias and at the base of the Lias, both in England and in WÜrtemberg, and well known to collectors as the "Bone-bed" of Aust Cliff, &c. (Wond. p. 529), a few minute mammalian teeth have been discovered by M. Plieninger at Diegerloch, near Stuttgart, WÜrtemberg. They appear to have belonged to one or more small Insectivorous quadrupeds, and have been described by Plieninger and JÄger. Sir C. Lyell, in the Prefatory Note to his Manual, 1852, fully treats of these interesting and most ancient mammalian remains, and gives several exact figures of the teeth. STONESFIELD MAMMALIA. Fossil Mammalia of Stonesfield. These most important organic remains have all been found in the oolitic calcareous flag-stones of Stonesfield: deposits which, as we have already had occasion to notice, teem with other relics of great interest. Two specimens of the natural size are represented Lign. 265, and will serve for reference to the collector who may visit that interesting locality. The existence of undoubted mammalia in the secondary formations was first made known by Dr. Buckland (in 1823), who, upon the authority of Cuvier, stated that the two specimens then discovered at Stonesfield belonged to marsupials allied to the Opossum (Didelphys). These fossils were the left branches of two lower jaws; both were imbedded in the stone by the external surface, the inner side only being exposed. One of the specimens has ten molar teeth in a row; the other (the beautiful fossil, fig. 1, Lign. The Amphitherium had thirty-two teeth in the lower jaw, that is, sixteen on each side; it is presumed to have been insectivorous, and to have belonged to the placental mammalia. The Phascolotherium had four true molar teeth, and three or four false molars, one canine, and three incisors in each branch of the lower jaw; and closely approximates to marsupial genera now restricted to New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land. It is, indeed, as Professor Phillips first remarked, an interesting fact, that the other organic remains of the British Oolite correspond with the existing forms now confined to the Australian continent and neighbouring seas; for in those distant latitudes, the Cestracionts, TrigoniÆ, and TerebratulÆ inhabit the ocean, and the CycadeÆ and AraucariÆ flourish on the dry land (Wond. p. 894). Thus we have evidence of the existence of the Marsupial order during the Secondary and Tertiary formations, a proof, as Dr. Buckland observes (Bd. p. 73), that this order, instead of being, as was once supposed, of more recent introduction than other orders of mammalia, was, in reality, the most ancient condition under which animals of this class first existed in the earlier geological epochs, and was coexistent with many other orders throughout Europe in the Eocene period; while its geographical distribution in the existing fauna is restricted to North and South America, and to New Holland, and the adjacent islands. Another remarkable geological condition in which fossil bones of Carnivora occur, is that of an ossiferous conglomerate, or bone-breccia; that is, a conglomerate formed of fragments of limestone and bones, cemented together into a hard rock by a reddish calcareous concretion. This breccia is found in almost all the islands on the shores of the basin of the Mediterranean Sea; as for example, at Gibraltar, Cette, Nice, Cerigo, Corsica, Palermo, &c. The most celebrated of the bone-caves are situated in Franconia, and in many parts of the Hartz. That of Gailenreuth has long been known for its fossil treasures, which principally consist of the bones and teeth of two extinct species of Bears. One of these is equal in size to a large horse, and is termed Ursus spelÆus (Bear of the Caverns); and skeletons have been found of all ages, from the adult to the cub but a few days old (see Wond. pp. 176, 177). There are numerous caverns in the neighbouring district, some of which are equally rich in the remains of Carnivora. BONE-CAVERNS. Even in Australia, caves with ossiferous breccia are numerous; but the bones belong to extinct marsupial animals of genera still existing in the country (see Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1844; Petrif. p. 133; and Wond. p. 188). In England, several caverns presenting similar phenomena have been discovered. That of Kirkdale, near Kirby Moorside, Yorkshire, is well known from the celebrity it acquired by the graphic illustration of its contents by Dr. Buckland. Kent’s Cave, near Torquay, Oreston Cave, near Plymouth, and several other caves in Devonshire, have yielded great numbers of bones and teeth of Carnivora and Pachydermata (see Reliq. Diluv. p. 67). Kent’s Hole is the most productive ossiferous cavern in England, and its vicinity to Torquay renders it of easy access. An extensive collection of teeth and bones was obtained from this cave by the late Rev. J. MacEnery, comprising, in addition to the usual extinct Carnivora, skulls and teeth of Badger (Meles taxus), Otter (Lutra vulgaris), Pole-cat (Putorius vulgaris), Stoat or Ermine (P. erminius), &c. A selection of the choicest specimens in this collection is deposited in the British Museum. In Glamorganshire, two large caverns, called Goat’s Hole, and Paviland Cave, containing numerous bones of Bear, HyÆna, Wolf, Fox, Rhinoceros, Elephant, &c., are situated in a lofty cliff of limestone, between Oxwich Bay and the Worm’s Head, on the property of Earl Talbot, fifteen miles west of Swansea (Reliq. Diluv. p. 82). FOSSIL CARNIVORA. In the western district of the Mendip Hills, in Somersetshire, there are several ossiferous fissures and caves. The most interesting are those of Hutton, on the northern From the caves at Hutton, the Rev. D. Williams obtained the milk-teeth and other remains of a calf-elephant, about two years old, and those of a young tiger, just shedding its milk-teeth; also the grinders of a young horse, that were casting their coronary surfaces; and remains of two species of hyÆna. But one instance of the fossil bones of Carnivora has been observed in the south-east of England. It occurred in a fissure in a quarry of sandstone at Boughton, near Maidstone; among other bones, the lower jaw of a HyÆna (see Frontispiece of Vol. I.), with the teeth, was obtained. In the modern silt of our alluvial districts, the remains of carnivorous animals, formerly indigenous to this island, are occasionally met with; and the skeleton of the Brown Bear (a species which inhabited Scotland eight centuries ago), and of the Wolf, whose extinction is of a yet later date, have been discovered. The Woodwardian Museum at Cambridge contains an entire skull of the Brown Bear (Ursus arctos), found in the Manea Fen of Cambridgeshire; Thus the remains of fossil Carnivora discovered in England comprise several kinds of Bear Although we cannot dwell on foreign localities of Carnivora, I may mention that the lacustrine pliocene formation of Œningen occasionally yields fine remains. A splendid specimen, obtained from that locality by Sir R. I. Murchison, displays almost the entire skeleton of a Fox-like animal, the Galecynus Œningensis of Prof. Owen. The Seal, which is one of the marine carnivorous mammalia, also occurs in a fossil state in England. A femur of a species of Phoca has been found, with the remains of a Monkey and Bat, in a tertiary deposit in Suffolk. In the tertiary strata of Malta an extinct species of Seal has also been discovered. In the bone-beds of New Zealand my son frequently found bones and teeth of Seals, probably of the species now inhabiting the South Pacific. (Petrif. p. 130.) Of the Insectivora, the fossil remains of several genera occur. In England, the jaw with teeth of a large species of Mole (named PalÆospalax, FOSSIL CHEIROPTERA AND QUADRUMANA. The Cheiroptera (hand-wings) or Bats, are mammalia which have the power of flight, from the bones of the phalanges or fingers being enormously elongated and giving support to a fine membranous expansion; they are rarely found fossil, although, from their habits of haunting and hybernating in fissures and caves, their skeletons often occur mingled in the earth of the floor of caverns, and imbedded in crannies of rocks, with bones of extinct animals. The remains of a considerable portion of the skeleton of one species of Bat was discovered by Cuvier in the gypsum of Montmartre, Fossil Ape of France.—But the remains of this order have at length been discovered in the most ancient of the tertiary deposits, and under circumstances which admit of no doubt as to the antiquity of the fossils or the strata in which they were imbedded; and almost at the same time in France and in the Sub-Himalayas; and very recently in the Brazils and in England. The first European specimen was discovered at Sansan, near Auch, about forty miles west of Toulouse, by M. Lartet, with remains of the Rhinoceros, Deer, Antelope, PalÆotherium, &c. It consists of the lower jaw, almost complete, with all the teeth, of an adult animal, of an extinct species, related to the long-limbed and tailed monkey, called Semnopithecus, of which the Negro Monkey is an example. A fragment of another jaw has been found in the same locality. Fossil Monkey of the Sub-Himalayas.—In the inexhaustible mine of fossil bones, discovered by British Officers in India, the upper jaw of an Ape was found by Messrs. Baker and Durand, and fragments of other jaws and some bones were subsequently collected by Dr. Falconer and Captain Cautley. These relics conjointly established the existence of a gigantic quadrumanous animal in the groves of India at the Eocene epoch, when the gigantic Tortoise, the lofty Sivatherium, and the colossal Mastodon tenanted the plains, and Hippopotami frequented the marshes and rivers. This fossil Ape also is related to the Semnopithecus. Fossil Monkey of South America.—Dr. Lund, the eminent Danish naturalist, to whose indefatigable researches, and successful determination of the colossal Edentata, we have previously alluded, has discovered the bones of a British Fossil Monkeys, Ly. p. 202.—The first fossil relic of a quadrumanous animal from the British strata was obtained in 1839, from a bed of Eocene sand, at Kyson, a few miles east of Woodbridge, in Suffolk, by W. Colchester, Esq. The first specimen found consisted of a small fragment of the right side of the lower jaw, with the last molar tooth entire in its socket; another relic is the crown of one fang of the first molar tooth, of the same species. These relics have been referred to an extinct species of Monkey, related to the Macacus, which has been named Macacus eocÆnus, in allusion to the geological age of the stratum in which the remains were discovered. ON COLLECTING FOSSIL MAMMALIA. On Collecting and Developing the Fossil Remains of Mammalia.—But few directions for the developing and Gum mastic, one ounce; Rectified spirit of wine, sufficient to dissolve it. Isinglass, one ounce, soaked in water until soft; then dissolve it in pure rum or brandy until it is in the state of stiff glue: add to this a quarter of an ounce of gum ammoniacum, well rubbed and mixed. Put the two solutions together in an earthen vessel, over a gentle heat; when thoroughly melted and united, put the mixture into smooth, well-corked bottles. Use.—Immerse the bottle in hot water until the cement is sufficiently liquid for use. The search for fossils of this class is attended with much less certainty of success than for other animal remains. In the following list, page 818, the localities most likely to be productive are enumerated; but we have no caverns, as in Germany, so rich in remains of this kind as to ensure the discovery of specimens by the casual visitor; for the treasures of the most productive cave, that of Banwell, are prohibited; the proprietor carefully preserving every fragment. A short residence near some of the best localities and daily research are required for obtaining interesting specimens. For example, a residence at Ryde, for a search in the fresh-water tertiary limestone at Binstead; at Torquay, for Kent’s cavern; or some other town or village near the other caves in Devonshire; Herne Bay, for the London Clay at Studd’s Hill, that produced the Hyracotherium; Woodbridge or Kyson, for the Suffolk mammalia; Walton and In searching for bones and teeth in an unexplored cave, the following suggestions by Dr. Buckland will be found of great value. Select the lowest parts in the cavern or fissure into which any mud or clay can have been drifted or accumulated; and then break through the stalagmitic crust of the floor, and dig down into the silt and pebbles, &c. below, in which bones and teeth will be found, if the spot contains any relics of this kind. As a test for distinguishing the ancient bones found in these caves from those which may have been recently introduced, the tongue should be applied to them when dry, and they will adhere in consequence of the loss of their animal gluten, without the substitution of any mineral substance, such as we commonly find in the fossil bones of the regular strata. Human bones found in caves always possess too much animal gluten to adhere to the tongue when dry. Along the eastern coast of England, and often off the mouth of the Thames, the fishermen dredge up teeth, tusks, and bones of Elephants; and good specimens may sometimes be thus procured. The Ramsgate fishermen employed in trawling in the North Sea and English channel, frequently bring up in their gear fragments of fossil bones of Mammoths, and other mammalia. From the bank of the Goodwin-sands, large tusks have been procured. On the shore near Herne Bay, very fine mammalian remains are occasionally obtained. In the Museum at Canterbury, there was (and I believe is) a good collection of fossil bones of large Pachydermata procured from the neighbouring coast. It is a remarkable fact, that immense quantities of the bones of Mammoths, or fossil Elephants, are strewn over the bed of the German Ocean and English Channel. Bacton, Norfolk. See Ostend. Banwell Cave, fifteen miles from Bristol, and three from Banwell Station. Bones and teeth of Bears, HyÆnas, a Felis larger than the Lion; but chiefly of Deer and Oxen. Berry Head, Devonshire; Cave. Carnivora; as Bear, Badger, Tiger, Pole-cat, Stoat. Binstead, near Ryde, Isle of Wight. Upper Eocene. Fresh-water limestone. Teeth and bones of Anoplotherium, PalÆotherium, ChÆropotamus, Dichobune. Brighton Cliffs. Between Kemptown and Rottingdean, in the beds above the Chalk. Pleistocene. Teeth and bones of Elephant, Horse, Deer, Oxen; jaw of a Whale. Copford, Essex. Pleistocene. Elephant, Stag, Ox, Beaver, Bear, &c. Crayford, Kent. Pleistocene. Elephant, Horse, &c. Easton, a mile and a half north of Southwold. Mastodon tooth, and Carnivora. Folkstone, Kent. Pleistocene. On the top of the west cliff and in the valley; bones of Elephant, HyÆna, Hippopotamus, Ox, Horse, Stag, &c. (Quart. Geol. Journ. vol. vii. p. 257.) Grays, Essex. Pleistocene. Elephant, Monkey, &c. Harwich, Essex. Pleistocene. Elephant’s teeth, &c. Herne Bay. In London Clay; Hyracotherium, ChÆropotamus. In Pleistocene deposits; Elephant, Whale. Hoe, near Plymouth, raised Beach at. Pleistocene. Elephant, Rhinoceros, Bear, Deer, Whale, &c. Horstead, Norfolk. Pleistocene. Mastodon tooth. Hutton Caves, near Banwell, Somersetshire. Carnivora, Pachydermata, &c. See p. 783. Isle of Man. Pleistocene. The gigantic Irish Deer (Cervus megaceros.) Kent’s Cave, near Torquay. The most productive of the British ossiferous caverns (see p. 813). Bear, Badger, Tiger, Wolf, and other Carnivora; Rhinoceros, Elephant, and other Pachydermata. Kirkdale, by Kirby Moorside, Yorkshire (see p. 783). I know not if any accessible part of this celebrated cave remains. Kyson, near Woodbridge, Suffolk. On the side of the river Deben, about a mile from Woodbridge, in the parish of Kyson (Kingston). The strata consist of, 1. Red crag, the uppermost. 2. London clay, about twelve feet. 3. White and yellow sand. In this lower Eocene bed the relics of Monkey, Didelphys, and Bat. Manea Fen, Cambridgeshire. Pleistocene. Skull of Bear. Newbourn, Suffolk. Pleistocene. Mastodon tooth. Leopard. Newbury, Berks. Pleistocene. In the peat and shell-marl, Boar, Ox, Roebuck, Stag, Beaver, Wolf, Ass, &c. Norwich. Pleistocene. Mammoth’s teeth and bones. Oreston Cave, near Plymouth. Carnivora, Wolf, Bear, HyÆna, &c. Ostend, near Bacton, on the coast of Norfolk. In a lacustrine deposit of dark clay and greenish sand, with charred trunks and branches of trees. A section presents—1. Uppermost: Drift. 2. Black earth, with shells. 3. Reddish sand. 4. Norwich crag, in patches. 5. Chalk. Nos. 2 and 3 are lacustrine; and in these Pleistocene beds have been found Gigantic Mole (PalÆospalax), Elephant, Deer, Roebuck, fossil Beaver (Trogontherium), jaw of Bear (Ursus spelÆus). See Hist. Brit. Foss. Mam. p. 85. Paviland Cave, fifteen miles west of Swansea; between Oxwich Bay and the Worm’s Head, Glamorganshire. Rhinoceros, Mammoth, HyÆna, Wolf. Plymouth. Caverns near elevated Beach, at the Hoe. Elephant, Rhinoceros, Bear, &c. Postwick, near Norwich. Pleistocene. Tooth of Mastodon. Seafield, Isle of Wight. Upper Eocene. PalÆotherium. Southbourn, Sussex. Pleistocene. The plain of alluvial mud and clay, called the "Wish:" a section seen on the sea-shore between the Sea-houses and the foot of the chalk hills. Elephant, Hippopotamus, Deer, Horse, Ox. Southwold, Suffolk. Pleistocene. Elephant, Rhinoceros, Horse, Deer, Mastodon: Otter, in Red Crag. Stonesfield, near Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Great Oolite. The only known locality in England of remains of mammalia of the Secondary period. See p. 805. Studd Hill, a mile westward of Herne Bay. London clay. Hyracotherium. Swansea (Paviland Cave, near). See Paviland. Wirksworth, Dream Cave. A perfect skull of Rhinoceros; in Dr. Buckland’s museum, at Oxford. Woodbridge, Suffolk. At Kyson, near Woodbridge. Eocene. Teeth of Monkey, &c. Note.—For notices of the occurrence of Mammalian Bones at Betchworth, Brighton, Dover, East Bourn, Folkstone, Maidstone, Marden, Peasemarsh, the valley of the Wey, Stonesfield Slate, Thames Valley, &c., see Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. vii. (consult Index). Of foreign localities, Tibet, Upper Punjab, Siwalik Hills, Vichy, &c., are also referred to in the same volume. ? Captain Willoughby Montagu having favoured me in 1844 with an account of the state of the principal caves in Franconian Switzerland, which he had lately visited, the subjoined extract may be useful to the continental traveller. The cave of SophienhÖhle appears to be highly interesting; the stalactites remaining uninjured, and the ossiferous floor in the state in which it was discovered; whilst the much-frequented caverns have been stripped of every relic by the spoliations of visitors during the last century and a half. "The northern part of Bavaria, which is denominated 'Franconian Switzerland,' is situated about the centre of a triangle, formed between Bamberg on the N.W., Bayreuth N.E., and Nuremberg S.; the best road from this latter city diverging beyond Erlangen to the north. "The nearest route from London is through Belgium, from Ostend or Antwerp, by the line of railroad which (since October, 1843) passes on from Liege and Verviers, by Aix-la-Chapelle to Cologne. Thence by steam up the Rhine, by Coblentz to Mayence, and again by railway to Frankfort. In summer there are steam boats up and down the Maine, as far as Wurzburg, daily, and higher up, between Schweinfurt and Bamberg, which latter distance is performed in eight hours going up. and five down. Or there is a diligence (eilwagen) from Frankfort direct to Nuremberg, from which place (or Bamberg, &c.) a carriage must be hired to Muggendorf, the principal village of that interesting district. It lies about half way on the post road between Erlangen and Bayreuth, and has two tolerable country inns; the people are civil, and moderate in their charges, at least for the freshest trout and good wine of Bavaria. "This charming spot and neighbourhood attracts not only the geologist and lover of the picturesque, but also the angler, who finds "As to the time necessary to get there, during the summer days it would only require one to pass through Belgium to Aix, including the transit of this frontier into Prussia, with slight search of baggage. Then, in between four and five hours to Cologne, where the steamers generally wait for the arrival of these trains; and, taking the first boat up, it is possible to reach Bingen (if not Mayence late) the same evening. From Frankfort, by diligence, starting at 11 A.M., and travelling all night, Nuremberg may be reached on the second day; and the centre of operations, about Muggendorf, on the fifth from quitting the sea-coast. In returning by the Maine,—from Wurzburg to Mayence maybe performed in one long day, and then on the Rhine, the descent being much quicker than the upward course against the streams, the return homewards may be accomplished in one day less. "The nearest way to Ostend is by the South-Eastern Railroad to Dover, and embark for Belgium. "The newly-discovered cave, called SophienhÖhle, lies on the right bank of a streamlet, which gives its name to a romantic and rocky valley, Ahorn-thal, and flows S.W. toward GÖsweinstein, until it falls into the Wiesent. The situation of the cave is near KlaustemerhÖhle, and opposite to LudwigshÖhle: and it is far easier of access than Gailenreuth, and may be inspected by ladies with the greatest facility. An intelligent female showed us through its lofty and interesting details. This cave is nearly 300 feet wide, and 150 feet in height. The quantity of fossil bones strewed about the floor was very great, notwithstanding many of the finest specimens had been removed, and were to be seen in the neighbouring castle of Count S——; added to this, the long, pendant curtains of stalactite, and the stupendous size of the cavern, contributed to make it appear to me far surpassing in interest that near Gailenreuth, called Zoolithen-HÖhle, which I had visited the day before. The keys of this cavern—for this, as well as the other celebrated caves, is locked up, to guard against depredations—are kept at the large farm or steward’s house, hard by. The state of the weather prevented our visiting ForstershÖhle (Forest Cavern), which lies further N.E. beyond the little town of Weischenfeld, near Zeubach; but which, we were informed, was equal in interest to this of SophienhÖhle. The tourist desirous of visiting this interesting district, will find Mr. Murray’s Handbook of Southern Germany an excellent guide: I can vouch for its accuracy." |