108 BRITISH AND EUROPEAN FOSSIL ELEPHANTS. 



ferent from those set forth in the ' Report to the British 

 Association ' and in the ' British Fossil Mammalia.' 



Early in 1844, my attention was directed to the European 

 fossil Elephants as subjects of comparison with the Indian 

 fossil species from the Sewalik hills. I had satisfied myself, 

 upon the indisputable evidence of entire crania and well-pro- 

 nounced dental distinctions, that, exclusive of the Stegodons, 

 there were three Indian fossil species of Elephas, two from 

 the Miocene Sewalik deposits, namely, E. (Euelephas) Hysu- 

 dricus and E. (Loxodon) planifrons, and one from the Pliocene 

 beds of the Nerbudda, E. (Euelephas) Namadicus, which were 

 as distinct as the two existing species are from each other. 

 On comparing them with British specimens, I found that 

 there was one series among the latter which resembled the 

 molars of E. (Loxod.) planifrons, and that they were chiefly 

 derived from the ' Norwich Crag ' or its vicinity ; while an- 

 other series, found in vast abundance on the ' Oyster-bed ' 

 and in other localities along the Norfolk coast and elsewhere 

 in England, differed constantly from characteristic specimens 

 of the Mammoth of the superficial glacial deposits, and were 

 closely allied to E. (Euelephas) Namadicus from the Nerbudda. 

 I was in this manner convinced that there were two British 

 fossil species, besides E. primigenius and E. (Loxodon) priscus. 

 The prevailing opinion, at that time, among the best geolo- 

 gical authorities in England, was that the Crag deposits were 

 either of a Miocene or very old Pliocene age. On referring 

 to the description and figures given by Nesti, Croizet, and 

 Jobert, and by Cuvier, of molars attributed to E. meridionalis, 

 I found that they were so indecisive, either from their re- 

 duced scale or their imperfect execution, that it was impos- 

 sible to identify the British specimens satisfactorily by them ; 

 and in the metropolitan collections I could discover no good 

 series of Val d'Arno specimens to assist me. In consequence, 

 I came to the conclusion, but hastily as it proved, that the 

 fossil species from the Norfolk coast and fluviatile beds of the 

 Thames Valley was the same as the extinct Elephant of the 

 Val d'Arno ; and the figures illustrative of it in the ' Fauna 

 Antiqua Sivalensis ' were published under the name of E. 

 meridionalis, while those from the ' Crag ' and siiperjacent 

 ' Elephant-beds ' were designated E. antiguus, under the im- 

 pression that it was the oldest of European Elephants then 

 known. But, on paying a visit afterwards to the Oxford 

 Museum, I found Val d'Arno specimens in Dr. Buckland's 

 collection which satisfied me that I had made a mistake, and 

 that the ' Crag ' molars were identical with those of E. meri- 

 dionalis. It was too late to correct the error in the published 

 plates ; and it appeared to me that less confusion would arise 



