306 ELK. LEMMING. SNOWY OWL. 



near London as late as the twelfth century. It does not seem 

 certain, however, that these were uri. The celebrated wild 

 cattle of Chillingham, and some of our domestic breeds, are 

 generally regarded by palaeontologists as being descended 

 from the ancient urus. 



Mr. Dawkins is of opinion that Machairodus latidens, one 

 of the most remarkable of the Pliocene carnivora, survived 

 to post-glacial times. It was found by MacEnery in Kent's 

 Hole, but has not been met with in the present examina- 

 tion of that interesting cavern. Nor has it occurred in any 

 other of our bone-caves or river gravels with remains of post- 

 glacial mammalia. The Norway Elk, which is identical with 

 the American moose, was also an inhabitant of this country, 

 but has long become extinct here, as, indeed, throughout 

 Western Europe. Even in Prussia it is said that there are only 

 about 226 remaining.* The lemming has been discovered by 

 Dr. Blackmore, in the river gravels at Fisherton, near Salis- 

 bury ; and the lagomys, or tailless hare, a genus now confined 

 to the Himalayas, Siberia, and the colder regions of North 

 America, has been identified by Prof. Owen among the bones 

 from Kent's Cavern, and by Dr. Falconer among those from, 

 the Brixham Cave. Among other northern and eastern forms 

 may be also mentioned a species allied to Dipus, Alacdaga 

 geranus, and a small mouse, Arvicola gregalis.^ Another 

 glacial genus, that of the marmots, is represented by two 

 species, one of them very closely resembling that now living 

 in Siberia. Lastly, it may be observed that remains of the 

 great snowy owl (Strix nivea), and of the willow grouse 

 (Tdrao albus) are met with in abundance in most of the caves 

 of the south-west of France. 



The river gravels contain also thirty- six species of shell-fish, 



* See Report from Her Majesty's representatives abroad, on the laws 

 and regulations relating to game, presented to Parliament, 1871. 

 t Arch. f. Antliropologie, 1876, p. 162. 



