Mounds at St. Andrews. 335 



at considerable length by Mr. Laing* : the animals in the list 

 given by him are similar to those met with here ; the main ex- 

 ception seems to be the bones of two or three species of ceta- 

 ceous animals. There was only one species of ox, however, the 

 Bos longifrons ; and the horse is described as a large-headed ani- 

 mal of small size, but considerably larger than the Shetland 

 pony, corresponding perfectly with the Equus fossilis. Mr. 

 Laing appears to be of opinion that none of the animals had 

 been in a domestic state, with perhaps the exception of the dog. 

 Should this be the case, then they would be considered of greater 

 antiquity than the remains met with in the mound at St. An- 

 drews. As already observed, however, more extensive researches 

 are necessary before we can arrive at any reliable conclusions as 

 to the relations of the Scottish mounds to each other, as well as 

 to the continental deposits. There is another matter in con- 

 nexion with shell-mounds on which I would venture to say a 

 word or two : some people appear to hold the opinion that if a 

 mound is found to contain the bones of domestic animals, 

 such as the Ox, Pig, Horse, &c, it is very likely an accumulation 

 of recent date, and not entitled to rank as a prehistoric deposit 

 at all. While this may in some cases be quite true, yet if it was 

 to be generally acted on, and no mound examined that was found 

 to contain the skull of a horse or the horn-core of a cow, it might 

 be the means of depriving us. of much valuable information, 

 because the most, if not all, of our domestic animals of that class 

 are in all probability neither more nor less than the descendants of 

 those races whose bones we find in the recent (geologically speak- 

 ing) clays and gravels of the country. Besides, we do not appear, 

 during the whole of the historic period, to have succeeded in 

 adding a single quadruped to the list of our domesticated ani- 

 mals. All the animals of that kind worthy, or, at all events, 

 capable of being domesticated, were brought into that condition 

 long before the historic era of Western Europe at any rate. We 

 have no doubt improved the breeds of our animals, and 

 of course to some extent modified their structure by means of 

 artificial selection. Nevertheless it is an open question whether 

 we have done more than merely improve a race of animals who 

 have descended to us in a domesticated state from the men of 

 the Neolithic age in Europe. 



* Prehistoric Remains of Caithness. I am aware that some of Mr. 

 Laing's conclusions have been called in question; but as the bones were 

 identified by competent authorities, there cannot be any mistake about them. 



