37 



stone, which was found near Grantown, Inverness-shire, is now in 

 the Museum of the Society of Antiquaries at Edinburgh, and both 

 the general pose and the development of the antlers seem to 

 preclude the possibility of its being intended to represent a Stag. 



8. Megaceros giganteus (Blumenbach). 



Gigantic Irish Deer. 



Remains of the true Elk appear to have been frequently mis- 

 taken for those of this species, and Dr. J. A. Smith has only been 

 able to find two authenticated instances of the occurrence of remains 

 of the Gigantic Deer in Scotland — namely, a skull, found atMaybole, 

 Ayrshire, in marl, and two portions of antlers at Crofthead, Ren- 

 frewshire, in laminated clay, which probably date from the glacial 

 epoch. In both cases the remains were associated with those 

 of Bos primiyenius, and in the latter (which are preserved in the 

 Hunterian Museum of the University of Glasgow) with Equus 

 caballus (P. S. Antiq. Scotland, ix., pp. 345-350). The evidence 

 which has been brought forward as to the survival of the Gigantic 

 Deer in historical times appears to be quite untrustworthy (cf. 

 Scoidar, J. Geol. Soc. Dublin, i., 197-209). 



Family: BOVIDAE. 

 9. Bos primigenius, Bojanus. 



Gigantic Fossil Ox, or Urus. 



As in the case of the Deer, the history of the discovery in Scot- 

 land of remains of Fossil Oxen has been carefully reviewed by 

 Dr. J. A. Smith (P. S. Antiq. Scotland, ix. pp. 587-674), who has 

 collected records of the occurrence of bones of the present species 

 in Orkney, Caithness, Sutherland, Aberdeen, Perth, Fife, Lanark, 

 Renfrew, Ayr, Kirkcudbright, Dumfries, Berwick, Roxburgh, and 

 Selkirkshire. Almost all these remains have been found in de- 

 posits of comparatively recent date, those in Orkney and Caithness- 

 shire being discovered in the ruins of early human habitations, 

 while skulls found in marl-beds in Selkirkshire were associated 

 with bronze weapons. There is no authentic evidence, however, 

 that, the Urus survived in these islands to historical times, for the 

 records of Boethius and other mediaeval chroniclers of gigantic 

 Wild Oxen existing in Scotland up to the 16th century appear to 

 be quite untrustworthy, and the claim that has been set up for the 



