and the Deposit in which it was imbedded. 283 



upper beds, which are about one mile from the river, were originally con- 

 tinuous over those of the lower quarries, which are about half a mile distant, 

 and nearer to the Rhine*. This conclusion is further borne out by the dif- 

 ferences of mineral character, and by the absence in the lower quarry of many 

 of those organic remains which characterize the upper. 



Several distinguished naturalists have examined and described the organic 

 remains which I collected ; and to their observations I beg to add a short 

 synopsis of some other CEningen fossils which have come under my notice, 

 and which are now scattered through the principal museums of Europe, in the 

 hope that such a list, however imperfect, may stimulate other inquirers to com- 

 plete the identification of a vast number of objects which are yet undescribed, 

 or which in former times have been inaccurately named. To commence, 

 however, with the carnivorous quadruped. The following account of it is 

 given by Mr. Mantell in a letter to myselff. 



" In compliance with your request, I beg to offer a few remarks on the 

 osteological characters of the extraordinary fossil discovered by you in the 

 CEningen limestone ; a fossil which far surpasses in interest any of the won- 

 derful remains which had been found in that deposit. 



" When you first submitted this matchless specimen to my chisel, you ex- 

 pressed your conviction that it would ,prove to be a species of fox ; and as I 

 proceeded in the interesting task of removing the stone from the skeleton, I 

 found myself warranted in agreeing with you in that opinion. When the 

 specimen was entirely exposed, I procured a recent fox, and dissected the 

 skull, extremities, &c., and upon comparing them with the fossil could detect 

 no essential difference. Through the kindness of Mr. Clift I have since been 

 able to examine the skeletons of several varieties and species of the genus 

 Vulpes in the museum of the College of Surgeons ; namely, five or six indi- 

 viduals of the Vulpes communis ; the black fox, the cross fox, and the Isatis, 

 or white fox. The skull of the last-mentioned species is more obtuse than 

 that of the fossil; but the skulls of the common fox and its varieties do not 

 differ more from the fossil than from each other; in fact there was not a 

 greater difference observable than between the skulls and teeth of individuals 

 of the recent animal, of various ages and countries. In making this obser- 

 vation I would, however, particularly remark, that the skull of the fossil is un- 

 fortunately so much broken and defaced, that the true form of the frontal 

 bone, post-orbital apophyses, &c., cannot be correctly determined, and that 

 these alone might be expected to afford essential, specific characters. 



" In the other parts of the skeleton, the only differences I noticed were the 

 * See Wood-cut, p. 279. f Plates XXXIII. and XXXIV. fig. 1, 2 & 3. 



