THE 



GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE. 



No. LXXn.— JTJNE, 18T0. 



OIRXGrXlSTJ^Xj -^.laTIOXjIBS. 



I. — On the Occurrence of Elephant-remains in Ireland. 

 By Professor Egbert Harkness, F.E..S., F.Gr.S.^ 



THE earliest discovery of Elephant-remains in the British 

 Isles appears to have been made in Ireland, and is recorded in 

 the xxixth volume of the Philosophical Transactions. 



This discovery was made about the year 1715, ''in digging the 

 foundation of a mill, near the side of a small brook that parts the 

 counties of Cavan and Monaghan," at Maghery, eight miles from 

 Belturbat. Here four molar-teeth of an elephant "were found, two 

 of which were of a large and two of a small size. A portion of a 

 lower jaw, containing one of these teeth, was also met with ; 

 likewise a part of the skull, which fell to pieces on exposure to the 

 atmosphere ; and some other bones of the skeleton. 



The account of the discovery of these bones is given by Mr. 

 Francis Neville, who states that they were found at the depth of 

 about four feet from the surface of the ground, and their mode of 

 occurrence is described as follows : — " The bed on which it lay 

 (referring to the locality) had been laid with ferns, — with that sort 

 of rushes here called sprits, — and with bushes intermixed, and nut- 

 shells. Under this was a stiff, blue clay, in which the teeth and 

 bones were found ; above this was, first, a mixture of yellow clay, 

 and sand much of the same colour ; under that, a fine white sandy 

 clay, which was next the bed ; the bed was for the most part a foot 

 thick, and in some places thicker, with moisture clean through it ; 

 it lay close, and cut like turf, and would diAn.de into flakes, thicker 

 or thinner at pleasure ; and in every layer the seed of rushes was as 

 fresh as if new pulled, so that it was in height of seed-time that 

 these bones were laid there. The branches of the fern, in every layer 

 as we opened them, were very distinguishable, as were the seeds of 

 the rushes and the tops of boughs. The whole matter smelt very 

 sour as it was dug ; and tracing it I found it 34 feet long, and about 

 20 or 22 feet broad." 



^ In the exploration of tiie ossiferous breccia, referred to in tMs communication, 

 the author received great assistance from Dr. A. Leith Adams. F.L.S., F.G.S., 22nd 

 Regt., to whom geologists are so much indebted for the knowledge they possess of 

 the fauna of the caves of Malta. It was owing to his labours that the additional 

 remains of Elephants and other animals were obtained from the Shandon breccia. 



VOL. VII. NO. LXXII. 17 



