NOTES ATTD QTTEHTEa. 



353 



The society already numbers upwards of 200 members, including many 

 well-known scientilic men, who have rendered good service to science by 

 their local investigations. We augur well for the new society, if its pro- 

 moters only follow up their successful starting, by doing really practical 

 work. We have no doubt it will soon become a useful institution for the 

 important district over which its operations will extend. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



A rossiLTFEROus Cave AT Meliha. — Another of these interesting 

 storehouses of the relics of the Pleistocene age was brought to light last 

 week through the researches of Captain Spratt, H.N., whose scientific 

 labours in connection with the geology of these islands are so well known 

 and appreciated. Vague rumours prevailed some years ago of the existence 

 of a cave of this kind at Meliha, which coming to the ears of the late 

 lamented Sir William Held, he directed the attention of Lord Ducie and 

 Captain Spratt to the spot, but nothing then could be found. A fossil 

 hippopotamus tooth in the possession of Signer Pace, an Italian gentleman 

 residing here, said to have been obtained from Meliha, led Captain Spratt 

 to institute closer and stricter inquiries, and, while in the Bay of Meliha 

 with his ship a few da3^s ago, he succeeded in finding the remains of 

 a fossiliferous cave at a short distance from the village church. It had 

 been, unfortunately, almost destroyed to make way for a road, and the 

 rubble used to fill up the interstices of a wall ; but sufficient remains of 

 hippopotamus bones and teeth were dug up to indicate its having been of a 

 similar character to the Meilach cave near Crendi, regarding which we 

 lately published some interesting particulars from the jjcn of Dr. Leith 

 Adams, of the 22nd Hegiment. — Malta Times, July 17. 



Human Hemains. — In June, 1747, the body of a woman was found six 

 feet deep in a peat-moor in the isle of Axliolm, in Lincolnshire. The an- 

 tique sandals on her feet afforded evidence of her having been been buried 

 there for many ages. Can any of our readers give information as to what 

 has become of these relics, and w hether any other very ancient human 

 remains have been fou)id in the district? 



In a turbary on the estate of the Earl of Moira, in Ireland, many years 

 ago, a human body was dug up a foot deep in gravel, covered with eleven 

 feet of moss ; the body was completely clothed, and the garments seemed, 

 it is said, to be all made of hair. It would be highly desirable to get in- 

 formation respecting such finds, especially whether they have been pre- 

 served in any collection. 



Deer in Englanp. — Mr. Richard Ilowse, in the committee's address, 

 p. 100, Trans. Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club, vol. v., p. iii. (1862), i.e. 

 from the paper read in 1861, makes the following statement : — " On a 

 recent visit to Newcastle, Professor Owen stated that the former was the 

 first and only proof he had seen of the occurrence of the Moose in the fos- 

 siliferous deposits of Englaiul." As the word 3Ioosc alone here might 

 lead to a natural mistake, we think it right to observe that we believe the 

 specimens referred to belonged to the VAXi or Moose (Cervus alces, Linn.). 

 They do not belong to the Wapiti {Ccrrns canadensis). 



YOL. V. 



