I04 Sheppai'd : Remains of tJie Lion in East Yorkshire. 



who appears to have been the first to notice it. PhilHps was at 

 that time the curator of the Museum at York, so I suppose it is 

 only natural that the most important specimens found at Biel- 

 becks should have gfone to York ! To me it is surprising- that, in 

 the circumstances, any reached Hull at all ! Probably Mr. Dykes 

 (who took an interest in the foundation of the Hull Museum — 

 then under the Literary and Philosophical Society) secured them. 

 Mr. H. M. Platnauer, of the York Museum, has kindly supplied 

 me with the following- particulars of the Bielbecks specimens 

 under his charge. Doubtless the bones of the Lion at York and 

 Hull are both from one individual: — 'Of Bielbecks mammals 

 we have: Wolf, Mammoth, Woolly Rhinoceros, Horse, Sheep,* 

 Aurochs, Reindeer, Red Deer, and Lion.t Of the last we have : 

 lower jaw (both rami), fragment of upper jaw, with carnassial 

 and first molar, left radius and tibia, ulna, left femur, and two 

 metacarpals.' 



From the list of mammalian remains above it will be seen 

 that the Bielbecks deposit is one of exceptional interest, and it 

 is pleasing to notice that at the last meeting of the British 

 Association a Committee was appointed to investigate it. The 

 report of this committee will be awaited with interest. 



The beds appear to have been first exposed by the tenant of 

 the farm, who dug out large quantities of material to marl his 

 sandy soil. They were described by Messrs. Harcourt, Salmond, 

 and Phillips in the 'Philosophical Magazine' for 1829. Later, 

 Mr. Harcourt gave the results of further investigation (six" or 

 seven hundred loads having been removed), and the third 

 edition of Phillips' 'Geology of Yorkshire' (1875) contains a 

 good summary of the whole subject. 



On Mill Hill, near Brough, is a somewhat similar deposit, 

 which has yielded bones, etc., of Elephas antiquus, E. primi- 

 genius (Mammoth), Bison priscus, Bos pri^nigenins, Cei'vns 

 elaphus (Red Deer), and Equus caballus (Horse). The Mam- 

 moth tusk recently referred to in these pages { also came from 

 this bed.§ Remains of the Lion have not been recorded here as 

 yet. The only other record of Lion remains from the eastern 

 part of the county appear to be from the famous Kirkdale 

 Cavern near Kirby Moorside. 



* It hardly seems probable that this species occurred in association with 

 those cited — the point is worth looking- up. 



t To this list the Bear [Ursus arctos) is added by Mr. Blake. 

 X ' The Naturalist,' June 1903, p. 194. 



i5 For further details see Proc. Vorks. Geol. Soc. , \o\. 13, pp. 221-231, 

 and 'Geological Rambles in East Yorkshire," pp. 192-197. 



Naturalist. 



