310 Royal Society : — 



is accumulated by profound research. Apart, indeed, from the 

 subject in hand, neither Author or Editor can be regarded as a very- 

 high authority, or as knowing very much of matters ornithological : 

 this is shown by the latter's designation of a worthy gentleman as 

 one "who has for so many years sat at the focal point," which 

 cannot fail to raise a smile on the face of those who are best fitted 

 to appreciate his scientific efforts and ability. Another merit of the 

 book is that its author has resisted all those attempts at fine writing 

 to which most men with such a subject would have succumbed. We 

 have no fabulous narratives interspersed, and no mottoes from The 

 Pirate to distract our attention. Claud Halcro does not appear in 

 the volume; and though we do indeed meet with Magnus Troil (p. 87), 

 it is only to show that he was not a better ornithologist than most 

 of his countrymen. This is as it should be. We like the hairs and 

 the butter served in separate dishes. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



KOYAL SOCIETY. 



June 11, 1874. — Joseph Dalton Hooker, C.B., President, in the 



Chair. 



" Note on the alleged Existence of Remains of a Lemming in Cave- 

 deposits of England." By Professor Owen, C.B., E.R.S. 



In the "Report on the Exploration of Brixham Cave" (Phil. Trans. 

 1873) it is stated (p. 560): — " With the appearance in the cave of 

 the smaller common rodents now living in this country, we have 

 to note a remarkable exception, that of the Lemming {Lagomys 

 spelceus)." And again, in the list of animal-remains as determined 

 by Dr. Ealconer and by Mr. Busk, there occurs (p. 556): — 

 " 16. Lagomys spelaius. Lemming . . 1." This is throughout the 

 " Report " treated as an original discovery, the importance of 

 which is impressed upon the Royal Society by the remark : — 

 " This circumstance tends to give a greater antiquity to a portion 

 of the smaller remains than from their condition and position we 

 might have been disposed to assign to them" (ib. p. 560, note). 

 These remains are referred to " the smaller common rodents now 

 living in this country," viz. " Hare, Rabbit, Water-rats," " at least 

 two species of Arvicola " (ib. p. 548). 



The supposed existence of remains of a Grisly Bear in the 

 Brixham Cave (Mr. Busk having " reason to believe that bear- 

 remains referred to Ursus priscus belong in fact to Ursus ferox" — 

 an " important determination") leads to the remark : — " The 

 presence of another small North- American animal has been ascer- 

 tained, viz. the Lemming " (ib. p. 556). At the date of publi- 

 caiiou of my 'British Fossil Mammals,' it is true that no fossil 

 evidence of a Lemming (Oeorychus, Illiger : Lemmus, Link) had 



