370 PEOCEEBINGS OP THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [March 8, 



were only very cursorily noticed by both authors. In the latter 

 half of the last century they attracted the attention of William and 

 John Hunter, in papers which are to be found in the ' Royal Trans- 

 actions,' but without an attempt at precise identification. Cuvier, 

 in his great work the ' Ossemens Fossils' in 1823, gave a special 

 chapter on the ossiferous breccias, and devoted much attention to 

 those of the Mediterranean. From the materials derived from the 

 rock which passed under his hands, he was able to detect evidence 

 only of two extinct species, one of which is doubtful. He concludes 

 his remarks on the Gibraltar remains in the following terms : — 



" Voila done dans ce petit nombre d'os de Gibraltar que j'ai pu 

 me procurer, au moins une espece de lievre et probablement une 

 espece de cerf, dont les pareils ne sent pas connus en Europe. 



" Que seroit-ce si quelque naturahste residant sur les lieux pre- 

 noit la peine de recueillir et de degager avec soin ceux qui se decou- 

 vriroient pendant quelques annees, comme je I'ai fait pour les 

 ossemens de nos gypses ? D'apres ce que noiis allons voir dans les 

 articles siuvans, on ne pent douter qu'il n'y fit des recoltes abon- 

 dantes et interessantes." {Op. cit. tome iv. p. 174.) 



From that period down to the pi'csent day hardly any addition 

 has been made to our knowledge of the subject, during a lapse of 

 forty years, until Capt. Brome undertook the exploration of the 

 " Genista " cave ; and the best commentary upon the preceding cita- 

 tion is furnished by the fact that the materials collected by him 

 have enabled us to determine upwards of twenty species of mam- 

 malia, above enumerated, many of them extinct, and all of them 

 bearing importantly on the ancient condition of Gibraltar. Indeed 

 it is within the facts of the case to say that, in the important walk 

 of the mammalian palaeontology of Gibraltar, Capt. Brome has done 

 more than was effected by the united labours of his predecessors since 

 the rock became a British possession. The persevering energy and 

 vigour with which he has followed up the inquiry, and the minute 

 and scrupulous care with which he has discriminated and arranged 

 the objects, are worthy of the highest commendation, and more espe- 

 cially so as the subject was new to him. We are inclined to believe 

 that the labour of military prisoners was never better directed in the 

 interest of science. 



We have to tender our best acknowledgments to Your Excel- 

 lency for the very cordial reception which you have given us, and 

 for the pains you have taken to forward the objects of our visit in 

 every respect. We beg leave also, through Your Excellency, to 

 offer our thanks to the military, naval, and civil departments of the 

 service for their hearty cooperation. Our thanks are more espe- 

 cially due to Major-General Frome and the officers of the Eoyal 

 Engineers, and to Capt. Ommanney, E.N., the senior naval officer 

 of the station, who have rendered us every assistance. 



