248 NATURAL SCIENCE. Oct.. 



tions in the Pliocene deposits of Pikermi and the Island of Samos. Dr. 

 Forsyth Major's memoir on the Pliocene Mammalia of Samos will 

 soon appear in the Palaontogmphica, and his collection from Olivola, 

 in the North of Italy, is now being extricated from matrix at the 

 British Museum. 



Much greater progress, however, has been made of late in the 

 study of Pleistocene Mammalia. M. Edouard Harle has been 

 especially energetic in the South of France, and has found much of 

 interest in the caverns of Haute Garonne {Bull. Soc. Geol. France, 

 ser. 3, vol. xxii., pp. 234-241, and L' Anthropologic, vol. v., pp. 402- 

 406). His most interesting discoveries consist in further evidence of the 

 occurrence of the striped hyaena, and of the elk in Southern France. 

 Professor Lartet, thirty years ago, was of opinion that the striped hyaena 

 migrated northwards from Africa beyond the Pyrenees, at the time 

 when Europe and Africa were connected by barriers ; but considering 

 that teeth almost identical with those of the striped hyaena have also 

 been found in the Pliocene both of France and England, M. Harle 

 now regards it as much more likely that the animal met with in the 

 caves was a direct descendant of its predecessor in the European 

 region. The confirmation of the discovery of the elk in south-west 

 France is interesting, because the evidence has not previously been 

 very satisfactorily described. Mr. Harle now gives a figure and 

 description of an upper molar tooth, which he considers to be unmis- 

 takable. 



Pleistocene Mammalia from the Thames. 



In England, one of the most interesting discoveries of Pleistocene 

 bones lately made is that described by Messrs. J. R. Leeson and 

 G. B. Laffan in the last number of the Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. These 

 authors have found a bed of loam deep in the Thames gravels at 

 Twickenham, and here, or immediately above it, there occur the 

 remains of the reindeer, bison, and oxen. The only known fragment 

 of the Saiga Antelope found in Britain was also obtained from the 

 same neighbourhood. One reindeer antler and a skull of bison are 

 especially fine, and these specimens have been presented by Dr. 

 Leeson to the British Museum. The most interesting feature of the 

 discovery, however, is the possible occurrence of the Celtic shorthorn 

 in association with the above-mentioned remains. We are by no 

 means convinced that the authors have made out their case for this 

 modification of current views ; for all discoveries hitherto have tended 

 to show that the shorthorn was introduced into Britain by the 

 Neolithic people who invaded the country after it became an island. 

 Nevertheless, the mode of occurrence of the bones at Twickenham is 

 suggestive of their all belonging to one period, and there seems 

 to be no doubt that some specimens do belong to the small ox in 

 question. 



