Vol. 55.] OF THE ROCK-PISSTJRE AT IGHTHAM. 427 



Both rami of the mandible are preserved, and only two of the 

 tubercular teeth are wanting. All the teeth are strongly sculptured, 

 especially the canines, which also possess a very prominent inner 

 cingulum. 



There is no evidence that the remains above noticed belonged to 

 one animal; indeed, judging from the proportionate size of the 

 skull and limb-bones in recent specimens of the polecat, the humerus 

 (57*5 mm.) would correspond with a skull having a basal length 

 of 75 mm., which would be considerably larger than that above 

 described. On the other hand, there is every probability that the 

 skull and limb-bones represent but one species. 



The discovery of this large skull has supplied data for the com- 

 parison of M. rohusta with the skulls described by Hensel (op. cit.), 

 Corn alia, ^ and Woldfich ^ ; and there is no doubt as to its agreement 

 with the skulls which these authors figure as large forms of the 

 polecat. The present specimen is distinctly larger than the biggest 

 of Hensel's or either of the fossil specimens, and the limb-bones 

 almost certainly represent a still larger animal. Under these 

 circumstances, and as the name of M. rohusta has already been 

 used, it may perhaps be allowed to remain, if only as a varietal 

 designation for these giant British forms, until they are found to 

 be the same species as that to which Meyer gave the name^of 

 M. antiqua. 



Among the remains of mammals recently recorded by MM. Mar- 

 cellin Boule & Gustavo Chauvet ^ from an ossiferous fissure in 

 Charente (Prance), two crania of Mustela putorius are mentioned 

 as notably larger than those of the modern polecat ; in all proba- 

 bility these are representatives of M. rohusta. 



20. Cants ltjptjs (?), Linn. (Wolf.) 



Several parts of the skeleton of a large canine animal have been 

 recovered by Mr. Frank Corner & Mr. A. S. Kennard from a col- 

 lateral fissure joining the original one at Ightham. These remains 

 .include parts of the skull and lower jaw as well as limb-bones and 

 vertebrae. The close resemblance between the bones of a wolf and 

 those of a dog of similar size prevents as positive a reference of these 

 remains to Canis lupus as could be wished, but there is every 

 probability that they represent a wolf of large size. 



The skull is too fragmentary to allow of any useful measurements 

 being made, but the following dimensions of other parts of the 

 skeleton will be advantageous|for comparison : — 



1 'Monogr. des Mamm. foss. de Lombardie,' in Pal. Lomb. ed. Stoppani, 

 ser. 2 (1870) p. 33 & pi. xi. 



^ Sitzb. k. Akad. d. Wissensch. Wien, vol. Ixxxii, Abth. i (1880) p. 32. 

 ^ Comptes-rendus Acad. Sci. Paris, vol. cxxviii (1899) p. 1188. 



