FOSSJL VERTEBRATES. 423 



M. cartel was evidently a synonym of Leithia melitensis ; he 

 further showed that the mandibular ramus figured by Leith 

 Adams as that of a young specimen of Leithia is undoubtedly 

 that of an Eliomys. 



The occurrence of Arvicola amphibius and A.pratensis is given 

 -on the authority of Leith Adams, and I do not know if any 

 specimens have been preserved. It ought to be mentioned that 

 Dr. Caruana reported liaving found a portion of a lower jaw of a 

 Hypena in the island of Gozo. 



So far as I am aware no thorough investigation has been made 

 -of the present-day mammalian fauna of the island, but it would 

 seem to be but poorly represented in species, for Sir John Murray 

 ■enumerates the indigenous mammalia as follows : — " The rabbit, 

 weasel, hedgehog, Norway rat, species of mice, and bats " *. 



I should like to take this opportunity of recording my grateful 

 thanks to Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.R.S., to Dr. 0. W. Andrews, 

 F.R.S., and to Mr. W. P. Pycraft, for kind help and for giving 

 me every facility for studjdng the remains of fossil and recent 

 birds in the National Collectioii. 



Hie Remains from the liar Dalam Cavern. 



The small collection under notice was obtained from the 

 Har Dalam Cavern, and the adherent matrix shows that the 

 specimens were embedded in a la5rer of red cave-earth. They 

 are rather fragmentary, but a comparatively large number of 

 species are represented and range from a small Elephas to the 

 extinct rodent Leithia. Most numerous of all are the avian 

 remains, which include those of a hitherto undescribed swan and 

 several other species not previously recorded as occurring in a 

 fossil condition -in the island. It will be remembered that 

 Dr. Cooke had already carried out some investigations in this 

 ■cave, the chief results of which. have been described by him and 

 Dr. Smith Woodward t. 



Mammalia. 



Of mammals, there are examples of four species only, two of 

 which call for no special notice here, for Elephas melitensis is 

 represented by ii scaphoid only, and Cervus elephus harbarus by a 

 metatarsus and a phalanx. The remaining two are Leithia 

 'melitensis and a small species of Equus, the specimens of which 

 each show some points of interest. 



Leithia.^ k. small number of rather fragmentary remains 

 •of Leithia are included in the collection. A few of these 

 jigree in size with the larger corresponding specimens in the 

 British Museum Collection, but the othei-s are so very much 

 larger that they almost suggest the existence of a second species, 

 .though it behoves one to be careful with regard to size alone 



* Scottish Geog. Mag. vol. vi. 1890, p. 453. 

 + Proc. Roy. Soc. vol. liv. 1893, pp. 274-283. 



28* 



