344 Dorothea Bate — Ossiferous Deposits, Balearic Islands. 



The Sestrucarias deposit was perhaps the more weathered of the two. 

 Traces of it 2 yards in width could be seen to the left of the gully for 

 a distance of about 20 yards. Similar pieces of red matrix and bones 

 occurred at the bottom of the ravine and again for another 60 yards 

 beyond. The second of these deposits (PI. XXV, Fig. 2) was found in 

 and around a slightly larger ravine terminating in an opening to the 

 sea known as the Cala de Pous. The ossiferous remains were observed 

 in the bed of the barranco, in the rocks forming its steep sides, and 

 also beyond its limits. Though difficult to estimate correctly the 

 original size of the deposit, it could be traced for 20 feet or more from 

 either edge of the barranco and had a width of at least 40 feet and 

 a depth of 10 to 12 feet. 



The remains were almost all those of a gigantic land tortoise'; a few 

 bones and teeth of ILjotragus were obtained at the top of the smaller 

 deposit and some rodent and bird bones occurred in the larger one. 

 Some fine sections were made from the limestone and the red matrix 

 of these deposits, and were kindly examined by Mr. E.. Bullen Newton, 

 who found them to be almost entirely composed of remains of 

 Amphisiegina accompanied by the marine Alga, Lithothmmiium. The 

 former had not previously been recorded from this locality. 



One more ossiferous deposit discovered in Menorca was situated 

 within a few yards of the edge of the sea cliffs near the little Bay of 

 Binidali on the coast between the villages of San Clementi and San 

 Luis. It had probably been formed in a fissure, and, though smaller 

 and very fragmentary, was not unlike those of the Bajoli promontory 

 described above. The mammalian remains were scattered in rather 

 isolated patches over an area about 8 or 10 yards long by 2 yards 

 broad. The depth of the deposit nowhere exceeded 2 feet. A block 

 of limestone lying a short distance away also showed traces of remains. 

 Myotragus remains occurred here, but those of rodents and other small 

 forms were still more plentiful. 



III. Conclusion. 



Some of the most interesting points with regard to the Pleistocene 

 ossiferous deposits of the Balearics may be briefly summarised as 

 follows : — 



1. Every one of the deposits discovered both in Mallorca and 

 Menorca was situated in close proximity to the sea. 



2. All were largely, some almost entirely, destroyed. 



3. Usually each deposit was composed almost entirely of the 

 remains of a single species. 



4. With the exception of some avian, small reptilian, and Molluscan 

 remains, none were obtained of species found inhabiting the islands at 

 the present day. 



5. Eemains of Myotragus occurred in deposits of both islands. 



6. Large Testudo remains were found only in Menorca, while 

 different, though closely allied, species of 'dormice' were obtained 

 from Mallorca and Menorca respectively. 



■^ Testudo gymnesicus, Geol. Mag., March, 1914, pp. 100-7. 



