436 Mr Duckworth, Note on the Dispersive Power 



and I at once noticed in it indubitable signs of the disease known 

 in human pathology as Osteo-arthritis and vulgarly as " Rheu- 

 matics." Struck by the reflection that one of the bones found 

 by Dubois was also a pathological specimen, and that Virchow 

 had discussed the possibility of osteo-arthritis being the cause 

 of the disease in that case (cf. Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie, 1895), 

 I determined to investigate the remainder of the bones, and in 

 particular, to endeavour to determine how far such fragments 

 of the skeleton could be dispersed by such a comparatively small 

 stream as I had before me. 



Examination of the bones indicated that two, and only two 

 animals, shewn by the characters of the bones to be small horses, 

 had perished here. There seems no doubt that the animals had 

 been mired in the marsh during the preceding winter, the state of 

 the bones suggesting this limit of time. Furthermore, as numerous 

 ponies roam in a semi-wild state over the neighbouring hills and 

 marshy tracts, there is no reason to suppose that the animals had 

 been specially brought to this spot to be destroyed. 



The investigation was further simplified by the discovery that 

 of the two animals, one was a young individual (between three 

 and four years) and the other (the rheumatic one) aged. Thus the 

 identification of the several remains was rendered much more easy 

 than would otherwise have been the case. 



The remainder of my examination resolved itself into pacing 

 the distances between the various bones, and I contented myself 

 with the observations embodied in the accompanying map ; this 

 shows the position of the more important parts of the skeleton 

 of the older animal, which I have denoted by the letter "A"; the 

 positions of one or two bones of the other pony "B" are also 

 indicated, as well as some ribs and digital bones (phalanges) 

 whose ownership was not determined with certainty. 



I. The important point brought out by the observations is that 

 the two humeri of the animal " A" were separated by a distance 

 of 153 feet along the bed of this small stream. In comparison 

 with this, the distance of 15 metres (48 feet 9 in.) demanded by 

 Dr Dubois for the Javan bones can be granted without difficulty. 



II. A few other points seem worthy of notice in this place. 

 Firstly, the possibility of dispersion by wild animals was here 

 excluded : the bones exhibit no signs whatever of having been 

 gnawed by dogs, which are almost the only animals that could be 

 suggested as responsible. Foxes are excluded for the same reason. 

 Secondly, it will be noticed that the ribs have been carried furthest 

 down-stream, no doubt owing to their lightness. 



Again, if the distance of 153 feet from humerus to humerus 

 should appear to prove too much, it must be mentioned that the 

 course of the stream runs down at an angle of about 8 C on the 



