THE ZOOLOGIST 



No. 220.— April, 1895. 



ON SOME REMAINS OF THE URUS, BOS PR1MIGENIUS, 



RECENTLY FOUND IN YORKSHIRE. 



By John Cordeaux. 



An interesting discovery in connection with this most 

 ancient and noble beast was recently made in the submarine 

 forest at low water on the Yorkshire coast a few miles north 

 of the Spurn. The forest-bed is a thin seam of peat, resting 

 on a sandy gravel, full of the roots of trees and stumps in situ; 

 occasionally under the action of the waves the entire trunk of 

 a tree is exposed, and bones of various mammalia are of 

 frequent occurrence.* 



In the present instance an entire and almost perfect head 

 with horn-cores of the Urus was dug up. Unfortunately, in 

 removal, the two men who carried the head to Easington village 

 left the lower jaws on the sands, and the tide returning either 

 washed them to some distance, or covered them with silt. The 

 head came into possession of Dr. Hewetson, of Leeds, who has a 

 residence at Easington, where, shortly after it had been found, 

 I had the pleasure of inspecting it. 



Four ribs were found in the same place, and some other bones, 

 but no vertebrae or large bones of the limbs. The position of the 

 bull at the time of his death had evidently been on his back, the 

 head and horns buried in mud and silt ; it is probable that the 

 larger bones of the limbs and those of the body had been dragged 



* Since this was written other bones have been found ; a bluestone celt 

 and a sandstone celt, flint-flakes, portions of ribs and a jaw pierced and 

 splintered by powerful canine-teeth, also portions of pointed wooden stakes, 

 one being five feet in length. 



ZOOLOGIST, THIRD SERIES, VOL. XIX. APRIL, 1895. L 



