VERTEBRATE ANIMALS FOUND AT RAYLEIGH CASTLE. 
17 
were certainly familiar objects in Chaucer's time, as witness the 
lines in the Romaunt of the Rose 5 and the Assembly of Foules 6 
which he quoted. It is, therefore, satisfactory to have the 
literary evidence supported by the remains from the Rayleigh 
midden. [Skeat has recently pointed out, however, that the 
Romaunt of the Rose is merefy a translation of a much 
earlier French poem, and, therefore, is really not evidence. For 
a valuable discussion of this question the reader may be 
referred to Part X. of Barrett Hamilton’s British Mammals 
(pub. Feb. 1912, pp. 184-191). The Rayleigh Castle record 
appears to be the earliest positive evidence of the re-introduc¬ 
tion of the Rabbit into Britain which we p3ssess.—May, 1912.] 
3. Lepus europaeus (Common Hare).—A humerus, tibia, 
and young femur are referable to the Common Hare. The 
humerus and tibia indicate an animal of very large size ; the 
extreme length of the former bone is in mm., and of the latter 
147mm., dimensions which equal those of the corresponding 
bones in some of the larger forms of the group of Varying 
Hares. 7 Nevertheless the tibia agrees exactly in form with that 
of the Common Hare, which does not appear to have arrived 
in England until after the Pleistocene period ; its remains are 
known from Romano-British deposits. 
4. Mus rattus (Black Rat).—A left femur, the extreme 
length of which is 36*2 mm., agrees in form and size with the 
femur of this species. The specimen is whitish in colour, and 
may be somewhat more recent than most of the remains from the 
midden. 
5. Felis (Domestic Cat).—A 'right mandibular ramus 
has the following dimensions :—Length, 51 mm. ; molar series 
(alveolar), 17 mm. It agrees in size with that of the domestic 
cat. 
6. Canis familiaris (Domestic Dog).—The dog is repre¬ 
sented by part of the skull and mandible, together with a humerus 
of an aged individual. Alveolar length of mandibular molars 
and premolars, 72 mm. ; length of lower carnassial, 22*3 ; of 
upper carnassial, 19*4; length of humerus, 147. 
7. Canis vulpes (Common Fox).—A nearly-complete 
5 Ed. by Thomas Tyrwhitt, i860, p. 221, vv. 1405-9. 
6 Ed. cit.. p. 350, v. 193. 
7 Scient. Froc. Royal Dublin Soc., xii. (n s.), pp. 247, 254 (1909). 
B 
