1872,] BUSE: ANIMAL-EEMAINS AT ACXON AND XITENHAM GEEEN. 465 



ance again in the present bed of the Thames — the abundance of 

 animal-remains in the mid terrace, and their great rarity, if not 

 absence, in the high terrace— and the invariable occurrence of both 

 implements and animal-remains in the lowest strata of the gravel 

 immediately adjoining the London Clay, are facts which demand an 

 explanation of some kind. It is rather with the view of submitting 

 these points to the judgment of geologists, than of attempting to 

 explain them myself, that I have prepared the accompanying maps 

 and sections with as much attention as possible to detail, and in the 

 hope that the slight addition thus afforded to our knowledge of the 

 distribution of the drift-implements in the Thames valley may not 

 prove unacceptable to the Geological Society. 



3. On the Animal-eemains found hy Colonel Lane Fox in the 

 High- and Low-tekeace Geavels at Acton and Tuenham Geeen. 

 By Geo. Busk, P.R.S., E.G.S., &c. 



[Plate XXIX.] 



I. HiGH-IEEEACE GeAVEL. 



The animal -remains from the High-terrace Gravel belong to Bos, 

 Ovis, Equus'^ and Elephas'i 



1. Bos. — The bovine remains comprise by far the greater part of 

 the specimens collected at this level. They are all in a compara- 

 tively recent condition, though some appear to have been more ex- 

 posed to atmospheric influence previous to interment than others. 

 Most of the bones also exhibit marks of cutting or chopping with a 

 sharp metallic implement ; and none have been exposed to fire. 

 Some few present faint indications of manganous deposit, in the 

 form of minute specks ; but none, with one exception, can be called 

 dendritic, nor do any of them adhere to the tongue, or but very 

 slightly so. In fact, they may nearly all be regarded as of modern 

 origin, and as belonging to the common ox of rather small size. A 

 perfect metacarpal measures 8 inches in length. Amongst the bovine 

 remains is what appears to be a portion of the metacarpal of a calf. 



2. Ovis. — The ovine relics are very few in number, and all 

 modern. 



3. Equus. — Two specimens only belonging to the horse occur in 

 the High-level collection, viz. a left lower molar and a portion of 

 the right scapula, including the glenoid cavity. Both these speci- 

 mens are dendritic ; and the fragment of the scapula is highly fer- 

 ruginous and much decomposed, apparently from subaerial exposure, 

 so that the surface scales off in thin laminae. From their condi- 

 tion, these bones would seem to belong to a different period than 



* As a curious instance of the way in which animal-remains may become 

 mixed together, it may be mentioned that the nearly entire pelvis of an Emu 

 was found, as it is stated, in "brick-earth at Acton, close to the south of the 

 High-level terrace Gravel, at a depth of about 2^ feet from the surface," the 

 truth being that it was found in garden-mould at that depth. 



