Evolution (Biology); Glacial epoch; Human beings -- Origin; Human evolution
The ossiferous caves of the peninsula of Gower in Glamorganshire
have been diligently explored of late years by Dr. Falconer and
Lieutenant-Colonel E.R. Wood, who have thoroughly investigated the
contents of many which were previously unknown. Among these Dr.
Falconer's skilled eye has recognised the remains of almost every
quadruped which he had elsewhere found fossil in British caves: in some
places the Elephas primigenius, accompanied by its usual companion,
the Rhinoceros tichorhinus, in others Elephas antiquus, associated
with Rhinoceros hemitoechus, Falconer; the extinct animals being often
embedded, as in the Belgian caves, in the same matrix with species now
living in Europe, such as the common badger (Meles taxus), the common
wolf, and the fox.
In a cavernous fissure called the Raven's Cliff, teeth of several
individuals of Hippopotamus major, both young and old, were found; and
this in a district where there is now scarce a rill of running water,
much less a river in which such quadrupeds could swim. In one of the
caves, called Spritsail Tor, bones of the elephants above named were
observed, with a great many other quadrupeds of Recent and extinct
species.
From one fissure, called Bosco's Den, no less than one thousand antlers
of the reindeer, chiefly of the variety called Cervus Guettardi, were
extracted by the persevering exertions of Colonel Wood, who estimated
that several hundred more still remained in the bone-earth of the same
rent.
They were mostly shed horns, and of young animals; and had been washed
into the rent with other bones, and with angular fragments of limestone,
and all enveloped in the same ochreous mud. Among the other bones, which
were not numerous, were those of the cave-bear, wolf, fox, ox, stag, and
field-mouse.
But the discovery of most importance, as bearing on the subject of the
present work, is the occurrence in a newly-discovered cave, called
Long Hole, by Colonel Wood, in 1861, of the remains of two species
of rhinoceros, R. tichorhinus and R. hemitoechus, Falconer, in an
undisturbed deposit, in the lower part of which were some well-shaped
flint knives, evidently of human workmanship. It is clear from their
position that Man was coeval with these two species. We have elsewhere
independent proofs of his co-existence with every other species of the
cave-fauna of Glamorganshire; but this is the first well-authenticated
example of the occurrence of R. hemitoechus in connection with human
implements.
In the fossil fauna of the valley of the Thames, Rhinoceros leptorhinus
was mentioned as occurring at Gray's Thurrock with Elephas antiquus.
Dr. Falconer, in a memoir which he is now preparing for the press on the
European Pliocene and Pleistocene species of the genus Rhinoceros,
has shown that, under the above name of R. leptorhinus, three
distinct species have been confounded by Cuvier, Owen, and other
palaeontologists:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account