Fakona-'s Fa Leo nto logical Memoirs. 23 1 



which was to consist of six Parts, and which, it was estimated, 

 would occupy about six years in publication. Within three 

 years, however, nine of the Parts appeared, each containing twelve 

 folio plates by Ford, of unexampled beauty and fidelity, and 

 affording representations of more than 11 23 specimens. But the 

 descriptive letter-press, as is but too often the case, did not keep 

 pace with the execution of the plates ; for, after a little progress, 

 Dr Falconer " found that the labour in comparing and identifying 

 the enormous mass of materials was so great, that if he had given 

 up his time to the letter-press, he would have been unable to finish 

 the preparation and arrangement of the collection during the period 

 to which his stay in England was peremptorily limited." In 

 December 1847 he was, in fact, compelled to return to India, 

 where he found it impossible to continue the work as he had hoped ; 

 and as circumstances, at a subsequent period, prevented his re- 

 curring to it, this grand design was left incomplete, to the grievous 

 loss of Palaeontology. 



One Part only of the letter-press of the "Fauna Antiqua" was 

 ever printed. It forms the commencement of an account of the 

 " Fossil Species of Elephant and Mastodon found in the Sewalik 

 Hills," and well serves to shew how much we have lost in the dis- 

 continuance of the work. So far as was found possible, this 

 deficiency has been supplied by a detailed description of the 

 plates, which has been compiled by the Editor from Dr Fal- 

 coner's notes and memoranda, and will be found of great value by 

 those who may be fortunate enough to possess one of the few ex- 

 tant copies of the plates, for whom this compilation has supplied a 

 great desideratum. It also affords copious data, on many points, 

 of extreme value to all engaged in the study, more especially of 

 the Proboscidea. 



The volume commences very appropriately with two highly 

 interesting papers. One, drawn up from manuscript notes by 

 Dr Falconer, of a discourse delivered before the Royal Asiatic 

 Society in 1844, and from a paper apparently written in India some 

 years previously, contains much interesting matter respecting the 

 history of the discovery of fossil remains in the Sewalik Hills and 

 their general relations, and shews how deeply, even at the outset 

 of his career, Dr Falconer was interested in speculations concern- 

 ing the antiquity of the human race. The second of these intro- 

 ductory papers is by Captain (now Sir Proby) Cautley, with whose 

 name that of Falconer is so inseparably connected, on the " Struc- 

 ture of the Sewalik Hills, and the Organic Remains found in them," 



