SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



171 



Linn. ; //. hispida v. concinna, Jef. ; II . nemoralis, 

 Linn.; H. ericetorum, Mull.; Cochlicopa (Zua) 

 lubrica, Mull. ; Ccecilioides acicula, Mull ; Pupa 

 muscorum, Linn. ; Vertigo minutissima, Hartm. ; 

 Succuhd oblonga, Drap ; Carychium minimum, Mull ; 

 Cyclostoma elegans, Mull; Unio (minute fragments). 



Amphibia. — Rana temporaria, Linn, (common 

 frog) ; Bufo vulgaris, Laurent (toad) ; Molge (newt). 



Reptilia. — Anguis fragilis, Linn, (slowworm) ; 

 Tropidonotus natrix, Linn, (common snake) ; Vipera 

 (Pelias) bents, Linn, (viper). 



Aves. — Turdus musicus (?), Linn, (song thrush) ; 

 Saxicola cenanthe, Linn, (wheatear) ; Motacilla (?) 

 (wagtail); Anthus pratensis (?) Linn, (meadow pipit 

 or titlark) ; Alauda arvensis, Linn, (skylark); Buteo 

 (?) (buzzard) ; Anas boscas (?) Linn, (duck) ; Larus 



(?) (g^l). 



Mammalia. — Talpa ewropcea, Linn, (mole) ; Sorex 

 vulgaris,' Linn, (common shrew) : 5. pygmceus, Linn. 

 (pigmy shrew) ; Vespertilio nattercri, Kuhl (redgrey 

 bat) ; V. sp. ; Scotophilia pipistrellus (?), Geoff, 

 (pipistrelle) ; Plecotus auritus (?), Linn, (long-eared 

 bat) ; Lepus timidus (?), (hare) ; (?) L. cuniculus, Linn. 

 (?), (rabbit) ; Lagomyspusillus, Pallas (pika or tailless 

 hare) ; Spermophilus ; Mits sylvaticus, Linn, (long- 

 tailed field-mouse) ; M. abbotti, Nov. Sp., E. T. 

 Newt. ; Myodes lemmus, Linn. (Norwegian 

 lemming) ; M . torquatus, Desm. (arctic lemming) ; 

 Microtus glareolus, Schreib. (bank vole) ; M . 

 amphibius, Linn, (water vole) ; M. arvalis, Pallas 

 (European field vole) ; M . agrestis, Linn, (field 

 vole) ; M. latticips, K. and B. (northern vole) ; 

 M. gregalis, Pallas (Siberian vole) ; Elephas 

 pruuigenius, Blum (mammoth) ; Equus caballus, 

 Linn, (horse, large and small) ; Rhinoceros 

 antiquitatis, Blum (woolly rhinoceros) ; Cervus 

 elaphus, Linn, (red deer) ; Rang if er (cervus) larandus, 

 Linn, (reindeer) ; Capreolus caprea, Gray (roe 

 deer) ; sheep or goat (?) ; Sus scrufa, Linn, (hog) ; 

 Mustela robusta, Nov. Sp., E. T. Newt. ; M. vulgaris, 

 var. minuta, E. T. Newt, (a tiny weasel) ; Meles 

 taxus(?), Bodd (badger); Ursus arctos (?), Linn, 

 (brown bear) ; Hyeenu crocuta (?), Erxl (spotted 

 hyaena) ; Canis vulpes, Linn, (common fox) ; C. 

 lagopus, Linn, (arctic fox). 



Tempting and interesting as are the plants, 

 insects and mollusca, I fear I must pass them by, 

 with the remark that, like the molluscan fauna of 

 the admiralty section, they furnish species not 

 previously found, pleistocene associated with 

 arctic forms. 



The vertebrates cannot be so easily passed by. 

 Here we are struck by the great number of species, 

 which exceed all put together, that have been found 

 in river and cave deposits in north-west Europe, 

 and I might further remark that my esteemed 

 colleague, Mr. E. T. Newton, F.R.S., has been 

 almost painfully careful not to multiply species, 

 and has made every allowance for local varieties, 



climatic influences, and other factors known and 

 unknown. I am certain that had the material been 

 placed in the hands of many species-lovers we 

 should have had a list of, or perhaps even over, a 

 hundred species and varieties. We have still 

 additions to make to the list, and a large quantity 

 of unworked material in hand. I regret the fissure 

 is now almost worked out, and as the quarrying 

 operations have ceased, the expense of working is 

 very great and the rewards but very small. I have, 

 however, hired the fissure, and am expending upon 

 the working the grant made me by the Royal 

 Society. 



The next thing we notice is the large additions 

 made to previously published lists, and of these 

 the amphibia and the reptilia are all new to the 

 pleistocene cave and river deposit lists, but are 

 still living. From this it might be argued that the 

 fissure deposit is newer than claimed, but for the 

 fact that nearly all of these have been found in the 

 forest bed. With reference to the birds, one has 

 been found in the British caves, one in a river 

 deposit, and possibly also in the forest bed. 

 These remarks do not apply to things I have found 

 in the valleys round here, the accounts of which 

 are not yet published. The large amount 

 of material one has of Mus abbotti, of the still larger 

 amount of Mus sylvaticus, and the great differences 

 between the two show this to be a true species. 

 The prodigious size and general character of 

 Mustela robusta also justifies its claim to a distinct 

 species, nor is the most made of the extreme 

 minuteness and other features of M. vulgaris 

 in making it a variety. The large array of 

 cheiroptera and rodentia ought to claim a 

 word, but we must pass them and even 

 the larger ungulates and carnivora by for the 

 present. One feature, however, forces itself upon 

 us, and that is the general arctic facies of the tout 

 ensemble; here one has reptiles which reach the 

 snow-line, the tailless hare, spermophilus, the 

 arctic and Norwegian lemmings, the northern 

 voles, the reindeer and the arctic fox, to say 

 nothing of the mammoth and woolly rhinoceros. 

 Such an assemblage as this, to an almost total 

 exclusion of southern forms, at once points to an 

 arctic climate, such as is to be found, say, in the 

 Steppes. That these conditions really obtained at 

 this spot is evinced by the remarkable undescribed 

 drifts and morain-like accumulations on the 

 counterscarp close by the fissure, while the condi- 

 tion of the bones point to the filling operations 

 coinciding with the history of the present valley. 

 From these and other reasons I cannot here 

 enumerate, we may put the age of the fissure 

 fossils at just towards the close of one of those 

 intensely arctic periods which are usually called 

 glacial. 



So far as the existence of man at this period is 



I 2. 



