Notices of New Boohs. 



8189 



But I must quote the particular passage to which I have alluded, 

 touching the water tortoise. This pretty and hardy chelonian might 

 without difficulty be introduced into our ornamental waters in Eng- 

 land, as it endures the rigours of a continental winter without any 

 apparent injury, being firmly established not only in the South of 

 France, Italy, Hungary, Greece and Turkey, but extending its range 

 . northwards to Austria, Silesia and Poland. In company with Emys 

 caspica it frequents Dalmatia and the shores of the Caspian, and is 

 found in friendly relations with the minute Emys Sigriz in some of 

 the table-lands of Spain. 



" Some weeks since, when examining the large collection of ancient 

 remains in Mr. Birch's possession, all of which were, 1 believe, found 

 on his estate in Norfolk, I found, to my surprise, some specimens far 

 more interesting than any I had expected to meet with. They con- 

 sist of some limb-bones and a considerable portion of the dorsal and 

 sternal shields of two individuals of the European fresh -water tortoise 

 [Emys lutaria), a species the existence of which at any time in the 

 British Islands has never before been suspected. These were found, 

 as a label upon them in Mr. Birch's handwriting testifies, so long ago 

 as June, 1836, in a peat-bog, by the side of a spring-pit, at East 

 Wretham, about seven feet below the surface, and beneath some 

 fifteen hundred laminations of a species of Hypnnm, specimens of 

 which were, I understand, submitted by Mr. Birch to Sir William 

 Hooker, who declared the species to be Hypnum filicinum. I imme- 

 diately communicated these facts to Professor Owen and Professor 

 Bell, as being respectively the highest authorities on the fossil and 

 recent reptiles of this country ; and subsequently sent the remains to 

 the first-named gentleman, who kindly determined the species for me, 

 thereby confirming the view I had taken of them, but adding that they 

 were somewhat larger than modern examples from Germany, now in 

 the British Museum. Now, 1 am told that no trace of testudinate remains 

 has been previously observed in England, in any formation of a later 

 date than the London clay, certainly not in any post-tertiary deposit. 

 1 therefore think I am justified in presenting them to your notice, asbeing 

 especially worthy of attention. But this is not my only motive for so 

 doing. I am anxious to point out, in this instance, another of the 

 many coincidences which existed in days of yore between the fauna 

 of Ancient Britain and the faunas of the continental countries nearest 

 to our island." 



The concluding words of this passage are scarcely to the point, 



