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end, for the possession of which the town was indebted to Sir 
Cordy Burrows. They were the antlers of the Megaceros hibernicus, 
or extinct Irish elk, the remains of which were now found in the 
morasses of that country. Their gigantic size would be seen 
when he stated that their antlers were something like 12ft. 
in width, and reached upwards of 1oft. from the ground. Perfect 
skeletons of the elk were now to be found in the British Museum and 
other places. The position:in which their bones were discovered 
evidently showed that the noble creatures were driven into the lakes, 
and must have perished there. In an early poem relating to a hunt in 
the 12th century, the “ scealch” was referred to, and this by some was 
thought to mean the elk ; he, however, was disposed to think it meant 
the seal, which is still designated by many Scotch fishermen by that 
name. Passing from the extinct species to the living (Alces malchis), 
as they are to be seen in North America, and North Europe, and Asia, 
the thanks of the town were due to Mr. H. Willett for having pre- 
sented to the Museum a pair of moose antlers. The pair before him 
(which had never before been publicly exhibited) weighed 27lbs. ; but 
a full grown pair would weigh double that. It was said that the black 
elk used its antlers for shovelling away the snow. He should like this 
to be true, but the probability was, he thought, that it was not. Of late, 
much had been said about the development of man, and that when he 
made his first appearance on the earth he was a poor degraded useless 
creature. But if he were so, Nature certainly made a great mistake in 
development ; for he would want all his wits about him to deal with 
such creatures as the extinct elk, the gigantic hyena, the cave bear, 
the lions, tigers, and other animals which abounded at that time. 
(Applause.) 
MR. T. W. WONFOR ON “SPONGES.” 
Over few natural objects had there been such differences of opinion 
among naturalists as over sponges. At one time believed to be pro- 
duced from the froth of the sea; at another to be neither plant nor 
animals, though partaking of the nature of both ; then claimed as in- 
animate objects possessing some kind of life; then deemed fungi or 
algz ; then zoophytes or plant animals ; and last, in the estimation of 
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