﻿Vol. 6 1.] ELEPHAS MEBID10N A LIS AT DEWLISH. 37 



represents the deposit as clinging to the face of the hill, whereas in 

 fact the steep scarp cuts diagonally across the trench, and the remains 

 of elephants were abundant at that spot, where the early finds were 

 made. 



It is very remarkable that the surface of the ground here 

 appears not to have been appreciably lowered by denudation since 

 the Pliocene Period, unless Elephas meridionalis lived on much later 

 in this neighbourhood. The trench is on a watershed, which may 

 possibly help to account for this fact. The position of the trench, 

 cut across diagonally by the scarp of the hill, is peculiar. It seems 

 possible that, if the trench was artificial, this may have been 

 intentional, because it would permit the dug-out stuff to be taken 

 to the open end, and tipped down the hill, and so obviate the 

 necessity of throwing it up along the sides of the pitfall. The 

 diagonal position would also have been suitable, because, if it had 

 been cut perpendicular to the brow of the hill, it would not have 

 intercepted the animals going to their drinking-place ; while if it 

 had been parallel to the scarp, it would not have enabled the earth 

 to have been conveniently taken out. 



The ' dust-like ' sand is perhaps blown sand. Chalk-plateaux in 

 the neighbourhood are, in some places, covered with a sand which 

 is probably of the age of the London Clay. The large amount of 

 flint-gravel may be a subsequent drift from the plateau-gravel, 

 which occupies considerable areas in the district. In fact, there are 

 many problems yet to be solved in connection with the trench at 

 Dewlish : but my object is to suggest that we have here the earliest 

 record yet discovered of the human excavator and trapper as an 

 intelligent and social being, capable of combined labour; and I 

 think that this hypothesis ought not to be rejected, until some more 

 plausible explanation of this remarkable trench and its contents 

 can be offered. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATES III & IV. 



[The original photographs were taken by Mr. Nesbitt, of Blandford, in 1891.] 



Plate III. 

 The elephant-trench at Dewlish, looking north-westward.. 



Plate IV. 

 The same, looking south-eastward. 



Discussion. 



The President regretted that the Author, who for so many years 

 had contributed papers to the Society, was unable to be present on 

 this occasion. The paper was really an addition to one which the 

 Author had previously read to the Society on the Dewlish Elephant- 

 Bed ; since the publication of the former paper new facts of interest 

 had come to light, which were now recorded. 



