MAMMALIA FOUND AT WINDY KNOLL. 255 



to be referred to the Pleistocene age ? According to Prof. Lartet it 

 would belong to the latest stages, or those of the Bison and Rein- 

 deer. That it belongs to the Pleistocene is to me tolerably certain, 

 because of the presence of large numbers of Eeindeer and Bison, 

 which in the succeeding period were very rare in this country. But 

 whether it belongs to an age when the Mammoth and Woolly Rhino- 

 ceros had become extinct, seems to be an open question, since both 

 those animals have been found in the district, and since it is 

 extremely improbable that all the animals would migrate by the 

 same routes. Nor is there any proof from the physical character of 

 the superficial strata as to its relation to the Glacial period. It 

 stands on the edge of the non-glaciated area of the eastern side of 

 the Pennine chain of hills, where the boulder-drifts so largely deve- 

 loped in the west cease to be found. It is therefore also an open 

 question as to whether it is of Pre- or of Postglacial age. 



Discussion. 



Mr. Evans, referring to the bronze celt mentioned by Mr. Pen- 

 nington, stated that he had never seen one of a similar character, 

 and that he thought it to be of "modern workmanship. It was 

 found, on analysis, to contain nearly 12 per cent, of zinc, which 

 proved, at any rate, that it did not belong to the Bronze age. He 

 said that the bones discovered were of great interest, as correspond- 

 ing with those of Pleistocene age in other districts. The great 

 quantity of Reindeer-remains was remarkable, as such numbers had 

 not previously occurred in that part of England. 



Mr. Chaeleswoeth remarked that the difficulty connected with 

 the finding of great numbers of mammalian remains was not con- 

 fined to the case of caves. He instanced the case of Happisbro', on 

 the Norfolk coast, where an oyster-bed was discovered in 1812 or 

 1813, and the fishermen brought up in their dredges immense num- 

 bers of mammalian remains. About 2000 teeth of Mammoths or 

 Elephants, representing some 300 or 400 animals, were thus ob- 

 tained in about fourteen years. 



Mr. Evans observed that the accumulation in Windy-Knoll fissure 

 might be simply due to accidents occurring to herds of Bisons and 

 Reindeer passing that way. If the fissure remained open for about 

 1 000 years, and 2 Bisons fell into it every 50 years from herds of 

 100 or more passing, the number found would easily be produced, 

 and the survivors would probably hardly miss their lost companions. 



