March 23, 1905] 



NA TURE 



presented by a single specimen, part of a milk molar 

 of Elcphas antiqiius; this again is peculiar, the 

 elephant previously met with in Derbyshire being 

 the mammoth (K. primigenius). The presence of 

 Eleplias antiqiius and Rhinoceros leptorhiniis, as we 

 learn from the discussion following the paper, led 

 Prof. Dawkins to regard the deposits at Hoe Grange 

 as belonging to the older Pleistocene group of caves. 



Among the numerous bovine remains there are 

 no horn-cores and frontal bones to indicate the 

 species to which these remains belong, and the 

 measurements of several metacarpals given in the 

 paper show that limb-bones alone are not sufficient 

 to indicate whether the remains are those of Bos or of 

 Bison. 



The Cervid.-e nrr represented by four spicies, the 



;. 2.— Mammalian Bone 

 jaw ; 2. Wild Cat, fen 

 5, 5A, £/i/>/ias antiju 



from Hoe Graii;;e Ca 

 jr ; 3, Wild Cat, hujnei 

 rj, milk tooth; 6, Kallo' 



I, Lion-cub, lower 

 ;, Bear, molar tooth ; 

 r, three molar teeth. 



great Irish deer {Cervus giganteiis), the red deer 

 (C. elaphus), the roebuck {CapreoJus caprea), and 

 another form, intermediate in size between the last 

 two, which is regarded by the authors as fallow deer 

 {Cervus dama). Bones and teeth of the last-named 

 form were very numerous, nearly 1600 specimens 

 having been found. If these remains are indeed 

 parts of Pleistocene fallow deer, and we see no way 

 to any other conclusion, they are of the greatest 

 interest. The fallow deer has not hitherto been 

 accepted, at least by modern writers, as a member of 



NO. 1847, VOL. 71] 



the British Pleistocene fauna, but is thought to have 

 been introduced to this country probably by the 

 Romans. 



There are two points, however, which have to be 

 settled before we can accept this addition to our 

 Pleistocene mammals : — (i) Are these remains cer- 

 tainly those of fallow deer? and if so (2) Is the 

 deposit in which they were found really of Pleistocene 

 age? 



It is to be regretted that there are no sufficiently 

 well preserved antlers to define the species clearly, 

 but the limb-bones and teeth are of such a size that 

 if there had been no question of age there would 

 have been little or no doubt in referring them to 

 fallow deer. In the circumstances the authors 

 have carefully measured the teeth and made com- 

 parisons with both fallow and red deer, and feel 

 compelled to regard these remains as parts of fallow 

 deer or of a closely allied species. The only 

 Pleistocene species of a size which might compare 

 with these bones and teeth is the Cervus Browni 

 described by Prof. Boyd Dawkins from Pleistocene 

 beds at Clacton, and this is only known by its antler, 

 which is distinguished from that of the fallow deer 

 by the presence of an additional tine. It has been 

 shown, however, that modern fallow deer sometimes 

 have this additional tine (see Nature, vol. xi., 

 p. 210), and it thus becomes very doubtful whether 

 C. Broiuni is really a distinct species. Although 

 there are no antlers' from Hoe Grange cave that can 

 be compared with C. Browni, yet it seems almost 

 certain that the authors are correct, and that these 

 Hoe Grange remains are representatives of the fallow 

 deer. 



We have now to consider the age of the Hoe 

 Grange deposits. There can be no question as to 

 the Pleistocene age of the elephant, rhinoceros, 

 hyaena, and lion, and there is no doubt as to the 

 fallow deer bones being found with the remains of 

 those animals; but it is just possible that the fallow 

 deer was living in the neighbourhood at a time when 

 a previously existing Pleistocene deposit was washed 

 into this cave, and so the more modern animal got 

 mixed with the older forms. In order that such a 

 re-deposition of large bones might take place there 

 must have been a considerable supply of water, and 

 seeing that the cave at the present time is near the 

 top of the plateau there is no collecting ground for 

 water; and it becomes necessary to suppose that, at 

 the time of the re-deposition of the bones, the land 

 was much higher than it is now, and that it has 

 since been denuded. But it must be remembered 

 that this would mean a very large amount of denuda- 

 tion, and, if we are to accept the fallow deer as a 

 Roman importation, this denudation must have 

 taken place since Roman times, which seems 

 extremely improbable. We think, therefore, _ that 

 the authors are justified in regarding these particular 

 cervine remains as those of fallow deer, and as good 

 evidence that the species lived in this country in 

 Pleistocene times. 



A fallow deer's antler has been recorded recently 

 by Dr. Herlaf Winge from an interglacial deposit in 

 Denmark; and this early extension of the species so 

 far north on the Continent makes its occurrence in 

 England in Pleistocene times still more probable. 

 It is remarkable that Cervus dama, or rather its 

 equivalent, C. Browni, should have been so rarely 

 found, hitherto, in Pleistocene deposits, seeing that 

 it is so abundant in the Hoe Grange cave. 



A word regarding the illustrations accompanying 

 this paper, two of which, by the courtesy of the 

 council of the Geological Society, we are able to 

 reproduce. The views of the cave are very credit- 



