423 



All these heads differ from those figured in Cuvier's 

 Ossemens Fossiles ; and Mr. Wilde regretted that he was at 

 present unable to draw the necessary comparisons between 

 the existing breeds and those found at Dunshaughlin, from 

 the want of a collection of the heads of the former in the 

 museums of this country, and from our not possessing any 

 work having accurate plates of the anatomical characters 

 of the horned cattle, although it is upon such characters that 

 the zoologist and the cattle-breeder found their distinctions. 

 A great number of these heads are broken in the centre of 

 the forehead, as if by some blunt instrument — apparently 

 the mode of slaughter. It might naturally be expected that 

 the best breeds and the largest assemblage of these animals 

 should be found (even at an early period) upon the fertile and 

 extensive plains of Meath ; and the whole collection offers 

 an incontestible proof, that at a remote period Ireland 

 possessed not oxAy several varieties of horned cattle, but also 

 breeds analogous to those most valued in England at the 

 present day, and lately re-introduced into this country. 



The animal, whose remains were found in the greatest 

 abundance next to the ox, was the pig — several of the heads 

 of which were produced, of all ages and sizes, but of a 

 smaller description than those at present bred in this country. 



There were one or two specimens of the horse and ass. 

 The bones of a number of deer were likewise found in the 

 collection, both male and female. The former, some of the 

 antlers of which are quite perfect, prove the race to have 

 been the common deer ; and in no instance were the horns of 

 the Fallow deer found — verifying the general opinion of natu- 

 ralists, that the latter are an introduced race into this country. 

 Large quantities of the bones of goats of all ages were dug 

 up. The head of a four-homed sheep was also discovered 

 in the same locality, of a peculiar form, to be described here- 

 after ; this was the only instance of the sheep that Mr. 

 Wilde had been able to procure. 



