﻿38 ELEPHAS MERIDIONALIS AX DBWLISH. [Feb. 1905, 



Dr. Henky Woodward said that he was glad to notice among the 

 exhibits upon the table some eoliths, collected by the Author from 

 the vicinity or from the trench in which the remains of Elephas 

 meridionalis were discovered ; as, if this elephant had been really a 

 contemporary with early man in Britain, it would be Eolithic 

 man whose weapons we should expect to find. Hitherto, how- 

 ever, there had been no evidence to show that man was a con- 

 temporary of E. meridionalis, which was a Pliocene species of 

 proboscidean. He was struck by the narrowness of the trench in 

 which the bones were found, and doubted whether a full-sized 

 elephant would have fallen into so narrow a ' pitfall.' 



Mr. Hudleston enquired whether the remains of many elephants 

 were found in the trench. He had understood hitherto that the 

 remains of only one elephant had been discovered there. Prom 

 what he had seen of the trench he certainly would never have 

 imagined that it could be of artificial origin. He pointed out that 

 the fall of bones of animals into clefts or fissures in the rocks of 

 the district was no uncommon phenomenon, and it was frequently 

 observed in connection with the Portland Limestone. There was 

 no reason whv the same should not also happen in the case of the 

 Chalk. 



Prof. Sollas thought that the excavation presented a very 

 artificial aspect, but wished for better evidence of its contem- 

 poraneity with the elephant. The flint to which special reference 

 had been made certainly appeared to be an ' eolith,' if by that term 

 the exclusion of human agency was implied. 



[POSTSCRIPT TO THE DISCUSSION.] 



[In reply to Mr. Hudleston's enquiry as to the number of 

 elephants, the Authok points out that nine molars are preserved in 

 museums, and two tusks of different individuals. Many detached 

 plates were also found and much scattered ivory. The heap of 

 white material, shown thrown together in PI. Ill, is doubtless 

 ivory. It is said that ' eoliths ' were exhibited by the Author : he 

 did not do so wittingly. His specimens were intended to show the 

 character of the gravel with which the trench was found filled up. — 

 November 25th, 1904.'] 



