LEPUS TIMIDUS. 211 



4 Reliquiae," 1 has, he says, " the size^ and shape of that of a 

 Hare :" the metatarsal bone, PL x. figs. 15 and 16, is that 

 of the outer toe, and is nearly as long as that of a Hare, but 

 is proportionally thicker. Cuvier adds, that he himself 

 possesses a first phalanx of the hind foot from Kirkdale, 

 which is also a little thicker in proportion than in the 

 Hare ; but the distal end of a tibia from the same cavern, 

 exactly resembles the corresponding part of the Hare, and, 

 with regard to a portion of jaw, he says, " I cannot per- 

 ceive any difference that can be regarded of a specific 

 nature ;" and concludes that, " if these fragments apper- 

 tain to a known species, it must be the Hare ; the Rabbit 

 would have them smaller and more slender." 



The fossil lower jaws, from both Kirkdale and Kent's 

 Hole which I have examined, have presented a somewhat 

 shorter interspace between the molars and incisors, than in 

 the common Hare of this country, with the same propor- 

 tions of depth and other dimensions, and the same sized 

 teeth ; whereby it would appear that the Hare of the 

 caves had a rather shorter head, and resembled in that 

 respect the variety or species to which the name of Lepus 

 Hibernicus has been given, and which has also somewhat 

 stouter limbs than our English Hare. 



I cannot detect any difference between the fossil Hare 

 and the Irish Hare in the forms and proportions of the 

 bones of the extremities : a very little increase of thick- 

 ness being all that distinguishes the Irish from the English 

 Hare in these parts of the skeleton. 



Fossil remains of a Hare have been discovered by Croizet 

 in the tertiary strata of the Puy de Dome ; by Serres, in 

 the ossiferous caves of Montpelier, and by Schmerling in 

 those of the Province of Liege. 



