A Day's Elephant Hunting in Essex. 33 



river-bed rises before us some seventeen feet in height. 

 Eunning from right to. left until tliey disappear in tlie un- 

 excavated ground, and pass away beneatli modern Ilford, 

 are horizontal bands of different coloured earths. Tliese 

 successive layers of loam and sand and gravel (says our 

 guide) represent successive changes in the sediments 

 brought dow^n by the old and now vanished river which 

 once flowed over the spot. In fact, we here have a lesson 

 as to Jioio land is made. Beginning at the base, there is a 

 clayey earth, containing freshwater shells. Then comes a 

 bright yellow sand : this too contains river shells. Above 

 this comes gravel. 



The spot is romantic with the dust of ancient zoological 

 races. It is classic in the records of geological research. 

 It was in this very layer of bright yellow sand that the 

 first perfect skull of the British mammoth [Elephas prhni- 

 geni'us) was found in the year 1863, to the intense interest 

 of the geologic public. It was discovered by the workmen 

 about fifteen feet below the surface. The cranium was 

 nearly entire, the upper portion of the left side alone being 

 slightly injured from the blow of a pick or a spade when 

 the workmen unconsciously came near it. Associated with 

 it were remains of the fleece-clad rhinoceros, great fossil 

 ox, and numerous freshwater shells. Luckily, Sir Antonio 

 Brady was then, as now, close at hand to assist in the dif- 

 ficult and hazardous process of extricating the remains in 

 good condition. The tusk of the mammoth measured 

 eight feet eight inches, from the point to the insertion into 

 the socket. From that time to this remains have been 

 unearthed year by year, and this Uphall Brickfield has thus 

 become celebrated for its fossil relics of wild and wondrous 

 denizens of the early Thames Valley. Not only were fleece- 

 clad elephants and rhinoceroses found here, telling, perhaps, 

 of an Arctic climate in these latitudes ; side by side with 

 them, strange to say, have been found the African hippopo- 

 tamus and elephant — animals of a southern and subtropi- 

 cal chme. What could this mean ? Why this astonishing 

 assemblage of animals from diverse climates mingled m 

 one common grave ? We shall shortly see. 



