37 
wliom Avo owe the fact of its being brought into notice. It has 
been (loscribcd by I\rr. E. T. Newton, F.G.S., Assistant-Naturalist 
to tlic Geological Survey, Avho states that the specimen “ incliules 
the greater part of the left half of the carapace and plastron, and 
one costal plate of the right side ; ” * and he regards it as identical 
with the E7ni/s hitaria now living in the southern and western 
parts of Europe. 
It Avill be remembered, that in his paper on the Meres of 
"Wretham lleatlgt Mr. Stevenson drew our attention to the occur- 
rence of fossil remains of Emys lutaria at E;vst "Wrctham, Avhich 
had been first 'made knowm in 18G2, by Prof. A. NeAvton, E.luS. 
This, at the time, Avas the only record of the occurrence of this 
species in England, Avhether fossil or recent, and it Avas discovered in 
a peaty bed of comparatively recent (post-glacial or i)rchistoric) date. 
The IMundesley Kiver-bed, from Avhich the specimen under notice 
Avas obtained, is a deposit Avhosc precise age has been a matter of 
some dispute, OAA-ing to the absence of any definite geological or 
stratigraphical evidence. It must be borne in mind, that this bed 
is quite distinct from the pre-glacial frcslnvater deposit associated 
Avith the Eorcst-bed series, and AA-hich underlies the glacial beds. 
The Mundeslcy Piver-bed occupies a holloAv eroded in the loAver 
glacial beds, but here the evidence ceases; the clilf section docs not 
tell more than the fact of the bed being ncAver than the loAvcr 
glacial period. For all Ave can see there it may be of middle or 
upper glacial age, or it may be post-glacial. The discovery, there- 
fore, of these testudinate remains in the PiA'cr-bed, bears testimony 
in favour of the deposit being of post-glacial age ; for not only arc 
the Wretham remains of this age, but the same species has been 
found under similar conditions in Denmark, SAA’eden, and Belgium. 
Dr. James Geikie in ‘The Great Ice Age’ (2nd edit, table, 
p. 570) points out that the close of the glacial period Avas marked 
by the continental condition of the British Islands ; and it was 
then no doubt that the Eviys was enabled to spread over portions 
of our land, together AA'ith the plants and animals constituting our 
present llora and fauna. The Tortoise, hoAvcA^er, did not surA’ivo to 
AA-ithin historic times. 
* ‘ Geological Magazine,’ decade 2, vol. vi. p. 304. 
t Trans. N. and N. N. S. a-o1. i. p. 36. 
