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‘ Sacrum of young Bison/ is a Sacral Bone of the Cave 
Bear, Ursus Speloeus,” by John Plant, F.G.S. 
When I first described, at the Manchester Geological 
Society in April, 1874, a number of bones which came from 
a limestone fissure near Castleton, they were correctly 
attributed, even upon a cursory examination, to be the 
remains of Bison, Reindeer, Wolf, and Bear, the bulk of 
them belonging to the Bison. In the course of a careful 
examination subsequently, several of the bones were found, 
presenting characters not to be determined by the aid only 
of such scanty help for comparison which was at my service, 
so I took a number of them to the Liverpool Museum, and, 
with the kind assistance of Mr. Moore, the Curator, was able 
to compare them with skeletons of bovine and ursine ani- 
mals, as well as with a collection of bones of the Cave Bear 
— U. Speloeus — which the Museum possessed, from La Grotte 
des Echelles, France. Some of my specimens could not be 
determined then, and have not yet been identified ; but in 
one case both Mr. Moore and myself were quite of the 
opinion that it bore a close resemblance to a sacral bone of 
the Cave Bear, in their collection from La Grotte des 
Echelles, and I ventured without hesitation to ascribe it to 
that animal. 
At a meeting of the Geological Society in May, 1874, I 
specially exhibited this bone, and described the new interest 
which had become attached to it. Professor Dawkins, 
however, expressed his doubts as to the correctness of my 
naming, and I at once placed the bone in his hands so that 
he could satisfy himself upon the matter. A month after 
(June 24) I received the bone, with a short note saying; — 
“ The bone which I have ordered to be returned is sacrum 
of young Bison,” and upon the bone itself was written, 
“Bison, W.B.D.” 
Surprised, but not convinced, I paid another visit to the 
Liverpool Museum, and with my friend Mr. Moore recom- 
