332 Jotinml of Triwcl and N'atiii-al History 



the Siwalik hills, which, on being submitted to Dr Falconer, 

 proved to belong to crocodiles and turtles. The first discovery 

 of fossils, therefore, in the formation was due to the former, while 

 their determination was due to the palaeontological skill of the 

 latter. In 1834 Dr Falconer discovered a fossil tortoise in the 

 Limli pass, and immediately after Captain Cautley followed up the 

 search in the Kalowala, and obtained a large number of mammals 

 by means of blasting. In the same year, also, there were new 

 labourers in the field. Lieutenants Baker and Durant began 

 working the great ossiferous deposit near the valley of Murkunda 

 and below Nahun, the former having his attention drawn to the 

 locality by the present of part of the tusk and tooth of an ele- 

 phant by the Rajah of Nahun. Dr Falconer was immediately on 

 the spot, and obtained upwards of three hundred specimens of 

 fossil bones within six hours. From that time the two original 

 discoverers gradually accumulated an enormous quantity of mam- 

 malian fossils, sufficient to fill two hundred and sixty packing- 

 cases for transmission to Europe. From time to time they 

 published memoirs on the most important of the extinct species in 

 the "Geological Transactions," the "Asiatic Researches," and the 

 "Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal." In Europe the dis- 

 covery attracted much attention, and was deemed by the Geological 

 Society of such high value that the Wollaston medal for 1837 was 

 awarded, in duplicate, to Dr Falconer and Captain Cautley. 



Up to this time the ancient forms of life that dwelt in India 

 before the establishment of the present species, had been altogether 

 unknown. Now they were brought vividly before us. On the 

 ancient plains of India, drained by the streams that deposited the 

 Siwalik rocks, there lived a mastodon*, four species of elephant, of a 

 type altogether unknown at the present day, two closely allied to 

 the animal now living in India, and one of the type that is now con- 



* Mastodon sivalensis. Elephas hysudricus. E. cliftii, E. planefrons, E. 

 insigiiis, E. ganesa, E. bombifrons. Hippopotamus sivalensis. Merycopo- 

 tamus dissimilis. Sus giganteus, 8. hysudricus. Rhinoceros plalyrliinus, K. 

 pakvindicus, R. sivalensis. Chalicotherium sivalense. Equus sivalensis. 

 Ilipparion (Ilippotherium) antelopinum. Canielus sivalensis. Camelopartlalis 

 sivalensis. Sivatherium giganteum. Antelope pala.>indicus, A. gyricornis. 

 Bison sivalensis, Bos occipitalis. Hemibos triquitriccras. Amphibos acuti- 

 cornis, A. elatus, A. antelopinus. Machairodus sivalensis. Eelis cristata. 

 IIya.na sivalensis. Hyamarctos sivalensis. Ursus camis? Enhydriodon sivalensis. 

 Si-nmiipithecus Lntcllus? Pithecus satyrus. Crocodilus l)onibifrons. C. cras- 

 sidens, C. Icptodus, C. gangeticus. Colossochelys Atlas. Emys tccla. Trionyx. 



