whether a questionable upper-jaw and tibia belong to the dog or not. Both these bones indicate an animal of the size of the Esquimaux dog, or of that of the American prairie-wolf (Canis latrans), which is well known to be smaller than our wolf; and as we have no more certain evidence to go upon, we must come to the conclusion that the dog at that time was not the faithful companion of our Troglodytes, for had it been so, and had he as a domestic animal been used for the chase, most certainly his remains would have been found in greater abundance. And, again, the fact of no bones having been found which had been gnawed argues against the existence of the dog at that period.[1]
The family of cats is also represented amongst the remains. We find the wild cat (Felis catus), of which however only one under-jaw of a very large animal has come down to us, and yet at the present time it is nearly spread over the whole of Europe, but is not found beyond this continent. Mountain forests are its favourite haunts. Most singularly, it is not found in Norway, Sweden, or Russia.
In the countries just mentioned the wild cat is replaced by the lynx (Felis lynx), and the remains of this animal are also met with in the Thayngen cave; three right and one left under-jaw and one upper-jaw have been found. At the present day it is widely spread over the above-named countries, and generally over the whole of Northern Europe. Even in Switzerland two or three individuals are killed every year.
Amongst this varied series of animals the appearance of the cave-lion (Felis spelæa) is of no little interest. Its existence is shown by two canines of a full-grown animal—a right upper-jaw, a right upper tusk, a tooth of the left under-jaw and one of the right under-jaw, and an upper canine tooth of young animals. The cave-lion is now extinct. On the average it was larger than the lion of the present day. As yet it has been found only in French, Belgian (English,[2]) and Swabian caves; also in
- ↑ Amongst the specimens which came from the rubbish-heap of the cave when it was resifted were several pieces of bone, some of which I secured and brought to England. On showing them to my friend Mr. Pengelly, F.R.S., the well-known explorer of Kent's Cavern, he at once pronounced that one of them has been gnawed; and, since then, to prevent any mistake, his attention has been again drawn to this specimen, and he quite adheres to his previous opinion. No one is better able to decide this question than Mr. Pengelly.
- ↑ It hardly needs an apology for inserting here the word 'English,' which is not in the original. It is singular that such a slip could be made by the author, as a full notice of this animal's remains in England was published by Messrs. W. Boyd-Dawkins and Ayshford Sanford in the Palæontographical Society's publications in 1868.
