4 FAUNA ANTIQUA SIVALENSIS. 



other hand, an herbivorous animal has its teeth and jaws con- 

 structed to act as a grinding apparatus ; its extremities are 

 not required to seize prey, and are, therefore, formed merely 

 to sustain the body, and for speed to enable it to escape from 

 danger ; and so on with corresponding modifications through- 

 out its organisation. In short, every part of an animal bears 

 an invariable relation to every other part, and is of itself an 

 index to the general form. The bony skeleton constitutes 

 the basis of the construction. When, therefore, fossil bones 

 are detected in the strata of the earth, each fragment is a 

 monument of the existence of a former race of animals, and 

 every tooth or articular surface a distmct inscription, as it 

 were, in regard to the special character of the animal from 

 which the bones were derived. 



The first notice of the occurrence of fossil bones in India 

 is contained in that excellent compendium of the history of 

 the Moghul and Pathan emperors by Ferishta. We are there 

 told, that under the reign of Feroz Shah the Third, in the year 

 1360, ' The emperor on his return to Delhi, in the month of 

 Eujub (May 1 SCO), was informed that near Hirdar ' there was a 

 hill out of which issued a stream of water called Sursooti, 

 running into the Sutlej, and beyond a watercourse called 

 Selima. It was stated that if a great mound between these 

 two streams were dug through, the water of the Sursooti 

 would flow into the Selima, and thence through Sirhind and 

 Miinsoorpoor on to Sunnam, and that the supply of water 

 would be perennial ; whereupon the emperor proceeded in 

 that direction, and having ordered 50,000 labourers to be as- 

 sembled, he caused the eminence to be dug through, so as to 

 form a junction of the two streams. In course of the opera- 

 tions bones of elephants and men were discovered in the 

 unbedded mound. Those of the human forearm measured 

 three yards. Some of the bones were petrified, while others 

 were still in the condition of bone.^ 



The bearing of this passage upon Indian palaeontology was 

 first observed by Greneral Briggs. The locality Hirdar refers 

 to a place in the Sewalik hills, where abundant fossil remains 

 have been found since. 



Captain Webb, in bis admirable survey of heights of the 

 Himalayah mountains, was the first to prove the existence of 

 fossil bones in that chain. They are called ' Bijli ki liar,' or 

 ' lightning bones ' from their supposed origin, and are found 

 in the elevated plain of Tibet behind the sources of the 

 Ganges. They are collected by the inhabitants, and exported 

 to the plams as charms. In this way they were brought to 

 the notice of Captain Webb, who communicated them to Mr. 



' Perwar, according to Prinsep. — [Ed.] 



