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ADDITIONAL NOTE BY Sir J. Wm. DAWSON, K.C.M.G., F.R.S. 

 ON REMAINS FROM THE LEBANON CAVERNS. 



The specimens collected in the Lebanon caves have now been arranged 

 iu the Peter Redpath Museum' of M'Gill University, and I have had the 

 pleasure of showing them to Professor Boyd Dawkins, on occasion of his 

 visit to Montreal in connexion with the meeting of the British Association 

 in that city. The results of this re-examination present, however, little 

 in addition to the facts stated in my paper of May 9th. 



In the older breccia of the Nahr-el-Kelb pass, all the teeth and bones 

 appear to belong to a few species of large mammals. Rhinoceros tichorhinus 

 is represented by several molars and by fragments of the bones. A deer not 

 distinguishable from Gervus clama is also somewhat abundant. A species 

 of Equus and a species of Bos also occur. The teeth of the latter are too 

 imperfect for determination of the species. Only a few of the fragments of 

 bone have been subjected to the action of fire. There are no remains what- 

 ever of invertebrate animals or of plants. The indications are of hunters 

 subsisting, while sojourning in these caves, on a few large animals, just as 

 in North America certain tribes were accustomed to feed almost exclusively 

 on the bison and the caribou. This would further seem to show that, as 

 suggested in my paper, there were at that time more extensive plains at the 

 foot of the Lebanon than at present. 



The inner cavern of Ant Elias has one species in common with the older, 

 namely, the fallow deer. It has also the roe (G. caprcolus), and one speci- 

 men is the lower jaw of a fawn with the milk teeth. There are also teeth of 

 the wild goat, and possibly of the sheep, though the latter can scarcely be 

 considered as certain, and one tooth of the hog {Sus scrofa). A very few 

 bones belong to large birds, and there are many shells of Helix pomatia, 

 which stiU lives in the vicinity. Shells of a smaller species of snail, included 

 in breccia at the sides of the cave, do not seem to be connected with its 

 occupation by man. A single marine univalve was found, and seems to be 

 Troclms {riionodonta) articxdata, a species still occurring on the coast. A 

 larger proportion of the bones in this cavern show marks of fire, and the 

 long bones have all been broken to extract the marrow. 



The indications in this cavern are of conditions of the Lebanon country 

 and its inhabitants similar to those now existing, except in the greater 

 prevalence of forest ; but no signs were found of any intercourse with 

 civilised men, nor did any pottery or bone implements occur. The further 

 excavations now in progress may, however, result in additional discoveries on 

 these points. 



