318 Dawk'ms — On the Age of the Mammoth, 



crown is composed of twelve principal ridges, with front and back 

 talons ; the nine anterior ridges are worn, the rest intact, and 

 enveloped in cement. The most anterior ridge is confluent in its 

 disc with the adjoining talon disc. The second disc is confluently 

 transverse, somewhat irregularly reniform in its contour, the con- 

 vexity being directed backwards. The third is composed of three 

 semi-detached, oblong discs, the worn digitations not having become 

 quite confluent. The four or five posterior ridges are but very 

 slightly affected by wear. The ground surface of the crown is broad 

 relatively to the length of the molar ; the ridges are high, thin, and 

 closely compressed. The plates of enamel are decidedly thin, pre- 

 senting no appearance of crimping or primary undulation, the only 

 plicature shown being that produced by the confluence of the discs 

 (that is, secondary undulations). In all these respects this molar 

 bears a very close resemblance to Mr. Prestwich's Ilford specimen. 

 The fangs are all broken off below, where, in the interstices, the 

 matrix is distinctly seen, in some places penetrating into the hollow 

 cores of the fangs. This matrix consists of a very ferruginous, fine 

 sand, containing small pebbles, and closely agrees with the matrix 

 of the Elephant-bed at Mundesley. There are also some patches of 

 blue clay, resembling that of the laminated blue beds. There is no 

 appearance of a disc of pressure behind, but this is intelligible from 

 the semi-worn condition of the tooth. The fresh broken surfaces of 

 the ivory of the fangs presents a dull cholocate, or pale sepia colour, 

 like that of the Mammoth molars, from the 'Big-bone-lick' of 

 America : it burns black and yields a strong odour of ammonia, 

 proving abundance of gelatine. All this is against the remote age 

 of the fossil, and it would indicate that it was yielded by some of 

 the upper gravel beds or blue clay below the Boulder-clay than that 



it came out of the Elephant-bed I regard this specimen as 



being an antepenultimate of Elephas primigenius. N.B. The posterior 

 talon is a little abraded behind. 



" The second specimen, labelled No. 2, from the blue clay and hlach 

 gravel beach, Cromer, scoured down after shoot-off cliff, under light- 

 house, March, 1860 (Anderson, Cromer). 



" This specimen, in a general way, very closely resembles No. 3, 

 just described : like it, the crown is very perfect, and composed of 

 twelve ridges with front and back talons. The grinding surface has 

 extended over the eight anterior ridges. The front ridge is con- 

 fluent with that of the disc of the anterior talon, which has partly 

 disappeared from pressure. This front disc has the enamel-plate 

 surrounding it somewhat folded, but without crimping ; the folds 

 being secondary undulations arising from the confluence of the 

 digitations 



" This tooth closely resembles that above described ; it is some- 

 what smaller, and belonged to the left side. It does not appear, 

 however, to have belonged to the same individual. The crown discs 

 are somewhat wider and more open, with less appearance of com- 

 pression, but not to a greater extent than is compatible with in- 

 dividual variation. The specimen agrees, in colour and character of 



