of lossil Bones at Nort/t Cliff", Yorkshire. 3 



The principal objects of research appeared to me to be these : 

 First, to ascertain whether the organic remains were distri- 

 buted in any order of succession ; whether, for instance, the re- 

 mains of extinct species, such as Elephas primigenius is pre- 

 sumed to be, lay below those which correspond with existing 

 types, and below the shells which Mr, Phillips has lately iden- 

 tified with recent native specimens. Secondly, to determine 

 whether the deposit contained any decisive evidence that it 

 had been originally formed by a sediment from tranquil waters, 

 and subsequently penetrated by the irruption of a diluvial tor- 

 rent. 



To the first of these inquiries the answer furnished by the 

 table is beyond expectation distinct. The discovery of the 

 head of an ancient variety of the bison is in this respect a for- 

 tunate occurrence. When I compared it with the description 

 given in the "Ossemens Fossiles" of the cranium of the aurochs 

 or bison, and perceived in it the strongly marked characters 

 which distinguish this from every other species of ox*, the ob- 

 tuse angle which is formed by the frontal and occipital bones 

 at the junction of their planes, the curvature of this crest and 

 the distance at which it is placed behind the horns, — I was 

 much gratified to find that one of the desiderata of geology 

 was here for the first time supplied. 



The following quotation from Cuvier will explain the in- 

 terest which attached to the finding such a specimen in such 

 a situation : he is speaking of the bones of the ox found at 

 Kirkdale, and in other ancient deposits. 



" II seroit de la derniere importance en geologie de savoir 

 a quelles especes ont appartenu les os de chaque gisement, 

 de determiner, par exemple, si ce sont des os d'aurochs ou 



2« 



-iz-r- 



Circumference of core of horn near the base 15-5. 



Distance of its base ill advance of the crista occipitalis 4 iiidies. 



Angle included between the frontal and occipital slopes 10.")°. 



Extreme breadth of <)cci|)ilal condyle <i-0 inches. 



Kxtreuic breadth of occipital foramen 2' 1 



Extreme length of ditto 1<> 



B 2 de.s 



