THROUGH EUROPE AND TO THE ISLANDS OF THE ATLANTIC. 163 
whose bones have been so frequently found at the bottom of peat 
bogs in Ireland, resting on the shell-marl, lived when these bogs 
were clear water lakes, often connected with rivers. In crossing 
the ice in winter they may have fallen through and been drowned 
(as suggested by Professor Hull), and this may also explain their 
presence in the Isle of Man. Professor Hull may like to know, that 
more than one hundred fallow deer thus perished in Sir Philip 
Egerton’s park at Tarporley, Cheshire, many years ago. Having 
out of curiosity crossed the lake to an island in the centre, they 
stayed too long, and a partial thaw caused the ice to break in places, 
and the deer falling in, could not extricate themselves, and were 
drowned beneath the ice in crowds. 
Mr. J. Townsend Trench said. — It may interest some of those 
who have just listened to observations upon the commonly called 
“ great Irish Elk,” but more correctly designated the “ Megaceros,” 
if I should briefly relate the circumstances under which, some thirty- 
five years ago, I discovered and secured the complete skeletons, 
skulls, and antlers of five of these splendid male animals, and the 
skull and skeleton of one female. 
I was travelling from the Limerick Junction towards Dublin, 
when, having stopped at a station, the guard looked into the 
carriage where, amongst other things, I had a stuffed eagle. It 
had snatched a hen from an old woman’s fowl yard ; she saw it 
alighting to devour the hen just at the other side of a loose stone 
wall, which she stealthily approached, and overthrew with her 
shoulder upon the eagle, which was killed thereby, and which she 
subsequently brought to me. The railway guard observed, “ I 
know where there is a stranger animal than that.” In reply to my 
enquiries, he said that at a neighbouring cottage a farmer had an 
enormous pair of deer’s horns, which he had found in a bog. 
I at once called for a car and drove off to the farmer’s house. It 
was in a poor district, and near the house was an extensive bog. 
I told the farmer that I heard he had some horns. He said he had, 
and showed them to me stowed away in his cow-house, and after a 
short negotiation, I bought them for a few pounds. I then asked 
him if he thought there were any more near where he had found 
that one in the bog. He said he thought not, so I said, “Go and 
get six men with spades to come and dig for two or three hours, 
and I will give them each half-a-crown, and if we find any more 
