Palaeontology. — "Neio Findhuis of Pliocene and Pleistocene 

 Mammals in Noord Brabant, and their Geological Signipcance'\ 

 By I. SwEMLE and Prof. L. Ruttkn. (Coinmiiiiicated hy Prof. 

 G. A. F. Molengraaff). 



(Communicated at the meeting of February 24, 1923). 



In the past year tlie Geological Institute of Utrecht obtained, partly 

 through mediation of the Geological Snrvey, partly from the Govern- 

 ment Bnrean for Watersnpply, some remains of fossil mammals 

 originating from the southern and llie western part of Noord-Brabant, 

 one of the southern provinces of Holland, a district which up to 

 the present has yielded very little in this respect. As we know, 

 i'e[)resentatives of the yonng-dilnvial fauna ha^e been found in some 

 localities of Noord Brabant, e. g. Bos primigenins Boj. near Den 

 Bosch, Elephas primigenins Blnmenb. near Acht, Rhinoceros anti- 

 quitatis Blum., in HoUandsch Diep. It is noteworthy, however, that 

 in two places, near Oosterhout in the northwest, and near Wester- 

 hoven in the south of the province, remains have been recognized 

 of a pliocene fauna, viz. Elephas meridionalis Nesti, and Rhinoceros 

 etruscus Falc '). 



Now, part of the remains, detected last year, have been derived 

 from the zone between Oosterliout and Westerhoven. Three findings 

 of mammals, belonging to the young diluvial fauna occurred in 

 the vicinity of Esbeek S. S. E. of Tilburg, viz. a molar from Elephas 

 primigenins Blum., found by Mr. Sissingh on the premises of the 

 clay-pit to the north of Esbeek, under a deposit of loam at a depth 

 of three meters; three molars from Rhinoceros antiquitatis Blum, 

 unearthed from a depth of 2^ ra. in peat-bearing layers of clay, 

 during the construction of the lock in the Wilhelmina Canal near 

 Diessen, when the canal was being dug, and a molar from Equus 

 Caballus L., found during the construction of the same canal to the 

 east of the Diessen-lock at a depth of 3^ M. '). 



The above fossils are not highly remarkable in themselves. The 

 Molar from Elephas primigenius is a M III, sup. sin., on which 



') L. RuTTEN. Die Diluvialen Saugetiere der Niederlande, 1909. 



') Far more eastward, viz. near Breugel on the Dommel, a fragment of a horn 

 of Bos Primigenius Boj. was found, with which the Utrecht Geo). Inst, was pre- 

 sented last year. 



