ON THE IRISH ELK REMAINS. 551 



From Red Sand E. 

 Plant remains, not determined. 



From Bed F. 



Betula alba. 



Potamogeton. 



Carex. 



Bracts of sedge. 

 Leaves (?). 



Mr. R. Okell examined the White Marl for Diatoms, but found no 

 trace. Thei-e are no fresh-water shells in it. 



In our last report we were able to announce the discovery in a previous 

 excavation near Ballaugh of the Arctic crustacean Lepidurus glacialis, 

 accompanied by the Arctic willow Salix herbacea in a bed of silt 

 occurring above Chara-marl, like that of the present section. In that 

 locality, however, we did not succeed in finding elk remains in the mar], 

 probably on account of the limited character of our excavation, as we 

 have eveiy reason to believe that the skeleton now in Edinburgh Museuni ' 

 was obtained from that bed. In the present instance, though we have 

 found the elk, it will be noticed that the section contains no trace of the 

 Arctic fauna. This is greatly to be regretted, since— as was pointed 

 out by Mr. C. Reid in our last report — the relation of this fauna to the 

 bed containing the elk is a point of great theoretical importance. It is 

 also important that the presence of the horse in the wild fauna of the 

 Isle of Man should be placed beyond doubt by working in undisturbed 

 ground. The same group of animals may be expected as tliat which 

 occurs in the prehistoric strata of Ireland and England. Under these 

 circumstances we propose to apply for a further grant to carry on explora- 

 tions which will probably definitely settle these interesting questions. 



The balance of the grant, renewed last year, was expended in the pre- 

 liminary work of draining ; further funds, which enabled the Committee 

 to continue the work and to discover the specimen, were provided by 

 tiie local Society, which also provided the amount required for having the 

 skeleton mounted.^ 



The best thanks of the Committee are due to the proprietor, Mrs. 

 Morrison, for kind permission to make the excavations, and Messrs. C. 

 Reid, J. Bennie, and R. Okell for the valuable assistance they have 

 rendered in the investigation. 



■O" 



' This is interesting as being the first perfect skeleton of this species to have 

 been mounted. Dr. Traquair writes concerning it that when he took office he found 

 that the pelvis in the skeleton was that of a common horse, which he had replaced 

 by that of a real elk from Ireland. He gives the following measurements (in 

 inches) : Humerus 15, radius 14^ metacarpal 13^, femur 18, tibia 19^, metatarsal or 

 cannon 14^ ; distance from tip to tip of the antlers, 8 feet li inches. He also 

 points out that the figure in Cuvier's Ossemens Fossilcs (and in Owen's Fofsil 

 Mammals) represents this skeleton exactly as it was before he had it altered by 

 replacing the horse pelvis with that of the Irish elk, and giving a proper curve to the 

 vertebral column, which formerly was absolutely straight, in the dorsal and lumbar 

 regions. 



- It has now been set up in Castle Eushen, Isle of Man. 



