FOSSIL BONES IN CAVERNS IN GERMANY. $Q \ 



toy*, and c. cinereo-ar^eutetts, resemble each other too much in 

 size, for us to suppose that these port's of the skeleton, which 

 in general are not very characteristic, should exhibit greater 

 differences than those observed in the bones of the fossil 

 fox. 



1 would recommend it therefore to persons, who live near Farther exa- 

 these caverns, to procure other bones of this species, and ruination ne- 

 particularly skulls, that they may resume the companion, " " > " 

 As far as 1 can judge from an imperfect skeleton of a 

 jackal, which I have examined, I should not be surprised to 

 learn, that they resemble the bones of this animal more 

 than those of our common fox. 



5. The same block, that furnished me with the fox's bones Bone<: of a 

 I have iust described, supplied me with some of a much species** 



„ - • • , » , , weasel, 



smaller carnivorous animal or the weasel genus, and resem- 

 bling the European polecat, or that of the Cape. These 

 consist of 1, a portion of the pelvis including the pubis aud 

 ischium: 2, the two outer metatarsal bones: 3, a phalanx 

 of the second row : 4, the last but one of the dorsal verte- 

 bra : 5, two caudal vertebrae. 



These are certainly bones of a weasel: and of all the M-^st rcspmbla 



ii c \ tiii c ■ those of die 



skeletons ol this genus 1 have had an opportunity of examin- j<- liropean oT 



ing, there are only the polecats of Europe and of the Cape Cape polecat. 



of good Hope, to which I can refer them. 



The martin and common weasel have the metatarsal bones 

 in particular incomparably larger. In the zorilla and polecat 

 they are exactly similar to the fossil specimens. 



The dorsal vertebra is neither so long nor so large as in 

 the polecat: but it resembles that of the zorilla; and this 

 resemblance struck me particularly at first, as the bones of 

 the hyena of the caverns also greatly resemble those of the 

 spotted hyena, which is equally an inhabitant of the Cape. 

 But the fragment of the pelvis directed me again to the 

 polecat of Europe, whieh it resembles more than it does the 

 zorilla. Thus I could not venture to lay down the hypo- 

 thesis, which at first appeared so seducing, that we must 

 search in the neighbourhood of the Cape for the animals 

 most resembling those of our caverns. 



It is extremely desirable, that more of these small bones 

 should be collected, and compared also with those of the 



inn stela 



