OF THE SPREAD OF THE EUROPEAN FAUNA. 



109 



€0 abundant that the teeth of no less than 100 elephants have 

 been taken from the brick-earth of one brickfield at Ilford, 

 Essex. It may also be noted here as interesting to London 

 residents, that the bones of elephants liave been found in many 

 places in London itself, notably under Ivegent Street and 

 Euston Square. 



In the same Pleistocene beds are bones of rhinoceros and lion, 

 and, more remarkable still, hippopotamus, which animal is now 

 restricted to tropical African rivers. The excavation of the 

 railway cutting at Kew Bridge revealed the bones of the 

 following eight species of large mammals, all of Asiatic origin : 

 Bisoii priscus, Bos longifrom, Ccrvus claphus, Cervus tarandus, 

 ElcphcLs pnmigcnius, Fdis spdcea, Hippopotamus major and 

 Ell inocc ros t ich orhinus. 



In the deposits forming the floors of caverns, again, there are 

 also the bones of the sabre-toothed tiger, Machcerodus latidens, 

 bear and, more numerous, hyicna. 



The Pikermi deposits of Greece, which have recently been 

 examined, give a remarkable assemblage of bones of animals, 

 most probably of Asiatic and East African origin, amongst which 

 are found the girati'e and antelopes and several species of 

 monkeys. 



Though the camel is not generally known as a living 

 European animal, it still exists in one small area in South- West 

 Spain, though probably introduced by man, but the ibssil remains 

 of the genus Ca/niclus have been found in Poumania and South 

 Piussia. Similarly we find in one corner of the Spanish 

 peninsula, Gibraltar, the so-called Barbary ape (Macaus 

 innus). 



That splendid animal, tlie Irish elk (Jfcgaceros hibcrnica), 

 which has left its bones and magnificent antlers under the 

 Irish bogs as well as in the Isle of Man, England, Scotland, 

 France, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Pussia, was 

 probably specifically, as it undoubtedly was generically, Asiatic, 

 though the species may possibly have been developed in 

 Europe. 



Of the more commonly known mammalia of Europe which 

 have had a southern or western Asiatic origin may be noted 

 the following : The badger, cat, common hare, fallow deer, 

 goat, horse, pig, red deer, roebuck, and the sheep. 



Many of our birds, too, have had a southern Asiatic origin 

 especially those having a more resplendent plumage. 



The peacock {Favo cristatus), well known in Judea in 

 Solomon's time, was in Greece after Alexander's Asiatic exploits 



