168 
age. The most singular fact connected with the bones, 
which are excessively light, is that they have lost all their 
earthy material, probably owing to the action of some acid in 
the peat, and only retain their animal matter, and, from their 
curved appearance, I should infer, when first exhumed, were 
perfectly flexible. The single scapula preserved has a folded 
or partially doubled appearance, similar to what would be 
seen in a piece of wet parchment. The circumstance just 
alluded to respecting the state of the bones is very unusual 
with animal remains found imbedded in peat, which has the 
singular property of preserving such substances for an 
almost indefinite period before decomposition of the flesh 
or skin takes place, and then we generally find the bones 
sound and good, as is the case with the gigantic Irish deer, 
red deer, swine, ox, or bear in the Irish bogs — most of which 
must be of great age, from- the situations in which they 
occur ; as also those of the beaver, moose deer, and bear in 
England. When, however, a superabundance of acid is 
present in the peat, its peculiar action upon the bones is 
very remarkable. But the period required to produce this 
change is uncertain and unknown, and, therefore, for anything 
we know to the contrar}^, may be a very long one ; sup- 
posing, however, that no change in the composition of the 
bones takes place until after the entire decomposition of the 
flesh has been efiected, then the period of their entombment 
must have been very remote. In support of which I shall 
adduce a few instances of the exhumation of human remains 
from peat, where their preservation was most remarkable, 
though we have evidence of their great age. In the begin- 
ning of the last century the perfect body of a man in the 
ancient Saxon costume was discovered in peat at Hatfield 
Chase, in Yorkshire.* 
In the Philosophical Transactions for 1734, there is a letter 
* Bakewell. 451. 
