198 Mr. Weaver on the Fossil Elk of Ireland. 
brought up from the eastward (part of it being a tunnel), and 
thus laid the bog dry. This measure was attended with a 
two-fold benefit to the tenantry,—the provision of a valuable 
combustible, and the discovery of an excellent manure in the 
form of white marl beneath the peat. The latter extends 
from a few feet to twenty feet in depth; and the subjacent 
marl from one to three, four, and five feet in thickness. ‘The 
marl when fresh dug has partly a grayish tinge, but on losing 
its moisture it becomes white. 
In cutting down the peat to the bed of marl, the remains 
of the gigantic elk have frequently been met with; and in- 
variably, as I am assured by the concurrent testimony of the 
tenaniry, placed between the peat and the marl; or merely 
impressed in the latter. It is stated that at least a dozen heads 
with the branches, accompanied by other remains, have thus 
been found from time to time: but being unfortunately deemed 
of no value by the country-people, they have for the most part 
been scattered and destroyed. It is to be hoped, however, 
that a sufficient inducement will lead them to bestow greater 
care on the preservation of whatever remains may be hereafter 
discovered. ji 
The marl, upon examination, appears in a great measure 
composed of an earthy calcareous base, containing commi- 
nuted portions of shells; and.that these are all derived from 
fresh-water species, is proved by the myriads of these shells 
that remain in the marl, still preserving their perfect forms. 
They are however bleached, very brittle, and retain little of 
their animal matter; but in all other respects they have the 
characters of recent shells. After examining several masses 
of the marl, I found the whole of the shel}s referable to three 
species,—two univalves, and one bivalve; namely, 
1. The Helix putris of Linnzus. See Donovan’s British 
Shells, pl. 168, fig. 1; and Lister, Conch, tab. 123, fig. 23.— 
N. B. Of the two, Lister’s figure is the more exact represen- 
tation of the shell. 
2. The Turbo fontinalis. Donovan, pl. 102. 
3. The Tellina cornea. Donovan, pl, 96. 
Of these shells some prevail more in one spot than in an- 
other; but generally speaking, they appear distributed through 
the upper portion of the marl in nearly equal quantities; in the 
lower portion they are less frequent, if not altogether absent. 
The circumstances which I have related seem to remove all 
idea of these remains of the Irish elk being of any other than 
comparatively recent origin. In seeking a cause for the nearly 
constant distribution of these remains in Ireland in swampy 
spots, may we not conjecture that this animal often sought 
the 
