﻿INTRODUCTION. xxi 



remains, which, besides their size, present also the characters of lion in an exaggerated 

 form as belonging to variety a, Felis spelaa, while the smaller ones, that exhibit no 

 differences as compared with those of the existing lion, constitute the second variety — 

 var. /3, Felis leo. 



Species Felis antiqua} Cuvier. — The remains of Felis antiqua, first discovered Dy 

 Cuvier in the bone-breccia, at Nice, in association with remains of the horse and cave-lion 

 have been determined by us 3 in two localities in the Mendip Hills. One canine tooth in 

 the collection of the Earl of Enniskillen, F.R.S., came from Banwell, and two canines and 

 molar teeth in the Taunton Museum were obtained by the late Rev. D. Williams from the 

 cavern either of Sandford Hill or Hutton. We believe also, from drawings shown us by 

 Colonel Wood, that its remains occur also in the cave of Spritsail Tor, in Gower. In 

 Germany the species occurs in the great cave of Gailenreuth ; in Belgium, in the caverns 

 of Liege, so ably explored by Dr. Schmerling ; and in France it appears to have been 

 described under several names by various authors. In 1864 it was found at Gibraltar 

 by Dr. Falconer and Mr. Busk, by the former of whom it has been identified with the 

 panther, Felis pardus of Linnaeus. 



Species Felis catus ferns, Linn. — The remains from Kent's Hole and the Mendip 

 caverns indicate a species slightly larger than the wild cat, that is becoming extinct so 

 fast at the present moment in Britain. The brickearths of Ilford also have furnished a 

 lower jaw, which is figured by Professor Owen, and is in the collection of Mr. Wickham 

 Flower, to whose courtesy we are indebted for its examination. 



Genus Hycena. Species H. spelcea, Goldfuss. — The Spelaean hyaena, so abundant in 

 the caverns of France and Germany, we consider to be a variety merely of the H. crocuta 

 or spotted hyena of South Africa. 3 Full evidence for this view will be given in the mono- 

 graph upon the genus. Its remains, as we would expect from its habits, are abundant in 

 the caverns, and comparatively rare in the river-deposits. Maidstone, Grays Thurrock, 

 Lawford, Walton, and Fisherton, may be cited as the places where it occurs in river 

 deposits. It exhibits considerable variation in respect to the talon of the lower sectorial 

 molar, w T hich MM. Croizet and Jobert, M. de Serres, Dubrueil, and Jean-Jean consider 

 of specific importance. The two marked varieties in Britain are var. a, H. intermedia of 

 M. de Serres, and var. j3, H. Perrieri of MM. Croizet and Jobert. They are, in our opinion, 

 mere varieties, as in a large series that has passed through our hands a gradation is 

 evident from the typical to the more unusual forms. 



Genus Canis. Species C. lupus, Linn., C. vidpes, Linn. — The wolf (C. lupus) and the 

 fox (C. vulpes) are indistinguishable from those that are now living in Europe. Their 

 remains are found both in caverns and river- deposits. 



Genus Gulo. Species Gulo luscus, Linn. — The wolverine or glutton (Gulo luscus), 



1 'Oss. Foss.,' 4to, 1825, vol. iv, p. 188, pi. xv, fig. 12. 



2 See Ayshford Sanford, 'Brit. Assoc. Rep.,' 1864. 



3 See Boyd Dawkins "On the Dentition of Hycena spelcea" 'Nat. Hist. Rev.,' 1865. 



