Dawkins — On the Age of the Mammoth. 317 



plains of Northern Asia and Siberia westward as far as the Pyrenees, 

 their southern boundary being formed by a line passing between the 

 Alps and the Caspian. Subsequently, in 1859, the discovery of the 

 remains of the Mammoth at Kome compelled him to extend its range 

 at least as far south as the valley of the Tiber, where it lived while 

 the masses of tufifa which composed the seven hills of the Eternal 

 City were being poured forth from active volcanos. 



In the Post-glacial fauna the Mammoth occupies a very important 

 position, on account of its great range and the fact that its large 

 molars are those of all others the first to have attracted the attention 

 of naturalists, as well as from the vast quantity of its remains whicli 

 occur in a fossil state in Siberia. Any proposition therefore that 

 affects it, affects also the whole question of the origin of the Post- 

 glacial fauna. If it be proved that the animal existed in Europe in 

 Pre-glacial times, then M. Lartet's admirable theory of the migra- 

 tion ^ of the Quaternary fauna into Europe after the Glacial epoch 

 falls to the ground, and the animal loses all classificatory value in 

 the determination of Pre- from Post-glacial deposits. The late Dr. 

 Falconer towards the close of his life held that it dwelt in Europe 

 at the time of the deposition of the forest bed of the Norfolk shore ; 

 and M. Lartet himself has been so convinced of the truth of his con- 

 clusion, that he has lately published an essay, in which he quotes the 

 animal as one of those few which survived the physical changes that 

 intervened between the Pre- and Post-glacial epochs,^ If the animal 

 lived here along with Elephas meridionalis, then it cannot be viewed 

 as a fellow-immigrant with the Eeindeer. It is, therefore a point of 

 very high importance to determine the value of the evidence on 

 which Dr. Falconer founded his conclusion, which we are able to do 

 by the late publication of all his data in the magnificent work con- 

 taining his scientific essays, and the more valuable portions of his 

 private notes.^ 



The only remains of the Mammoth that can by any possibility be 

 ascribed to the Forest-bed are those in the possession of the Kev. S. 

 W. King, F.G.S., the Eev. John Gunn, F.G.S., and in the Wood- 

 wardian Museum at Cambridge. "With reference to the first of these 

 Dr. Falconer writes as follows, page 164^ : — 



" I have also examined two specimens of the first true molar, upper 

 jaw of Elephas primigenius, in the collection of the Kev. S. W. King, 

 from the Norfolk coast section, near Cromer. The specimens were 

 carefully compared with a molar from Ilford, in the valley of the 

 Thames, belonging to Mr. Prestwich. 



"The specimen first to be noticed, marked No. 3, is labelled 

 * Picked out of blue clay and black gravel on beach, solid level, after 

 scouring from shoot of cliff, in March, 1860 (Anderson, Cromer).' 



" It is a very perfect example of an antepenultimate true molar, 

 upper jaw right (t. m. 1) presenting the crown quite perfect. The 



^ Comptes Eendus, torn, xlvi., p. 409. 



2 Note sur Deux Tetes de Carnassiers Fossiles Ann. des Sc. Nat. 5 ser. torn viii. 



3 Palseontological Memoirs of the late Hugh Falconer. Edit, by Dr. Murchison. 

 Vol. ii. 



