A HISTORY OF NORFOLK 



Remains of the ordinary Pleistocene mammals are met with in 

 some of the gravels and glacial deposits of Norfolk, but since they are 

 inferior in interest to the preglacial animals found in the county, a de- 

 tailed notice may be dispensed with. It may, however, be mentioned 

 that an imperfect molar of the mammoth {Elephas primigenius) was dis- 

 covered many years ago in chalk debris at Horstead, and is noticed in 

 Woodward's Geology of Norfolk. Teeth and tusks of the same animal are 

 also not unfrequently dredged up from the Knole Sand off the coast at 

 Happisburgh, as well as at other localities in the county ; and, indeed, 

 are likewise hauled up in the nets of fishermen trawling on the Dogger 

 Bank. Molars of the woolly rhinoceros {Rhinoceros antiquitatis) are like- 

 wise dredged on the Dogger Bank, and it would seem probable that 

 some of the rhinoceros remains obtained from time to time off Happis- 

 burgh are referable to the same species, although at least several of those 

 in the British Museum from that place belong to R. etruscus of the 

 Forest Bed. Teeth and bones of the hippopotamus also occur among 

 the specimens dredged off Happisburgh. 



Passing to the preglacial Forest Bed, we have first of all a species 

 of sabre-toothed tiger {Macharodus) represented by a lower jaw from 

 Kessingland, and likewise by an imperfect specimen of one of the huge 

 upper tusks from which this extinct genus was named. The large 

 Pleistocene variety of the African spotted hyaena {Hycena crocuta spelad) 

 was at this time an inhabitant of Norfolk, its remains having been dis- 

 covered at Corton, Kessingland, and Cromer. Teeth and bones of the 

 wolf {Cams lupus) have likewise been found at Kessingland, Overstrand, 

 and Runton. Probably the fox {C. vulpes) was likewise a member of 

 the Forest Bed fauna, although this is not absolutely certain. Other 

 Forest Bed Carnivora are the marten {Mustela martes), of which remains 

 occur at West Runton ; the Arctic glutton, or wolverine {Gulo luscus), 

 as represented by a lower jaw from Mundesley ; and the otter {Lutra 

 vulgaris), of which a jaw has been obtained at East Runton. The list 

 of named species of Forest Bed land Carnivora closes with the great 

 extinct cave bear {Ursus spelaus) and the brown bear {U. arctus) ; the 

 remains of the latter species being possibly referable to one of the 

 American races, such as U. arctus horribilis, although considerations of 

 geographical distribution are somewhat against such a reference. The 

 marine Carnivora are represented in these deposits by a tooth and one of 

 the bones (radius) of the fore-arm of an undetermined species of seal 

 from West Runton, as well as by the bone of the upper arm (humerus) 

 of the bearded seal {Phoca barbata) from Overstrand. There is also an 

 extinct walrus {Odobanus huxleyi). 



It was at one time considered probable that the aurochs lived in 

 Britain at the time of the deposition of the Forest Bed, but all the 

 specifically determinable remains of oxen from that formation are now 

 definitely known to belong to the Pleistocene representative of the bison 

 {Bos priscus). An imperfect skull of the musk ox {Ovibos moschatus) 

 obtained at Trimingham, and formerly in the collection of the late 



32 



