Page:Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, vol. 27.djvu/50

 protodon and Merycopotamus ; several species of Sus and Hippohyus, and of Equus and Hippotherium ; the colossal ruminant Sivatherium, together with fossil species of Camel, Giraffe, Cervus, Antilope, Capra, and new types of Bovidoe ; Carnivora belonging to the new genera Hyoenarctos and Enhydriodon, and also to Drepanodon, Felis, Hyoena, Canis, Gulo, Lutra, &c. ; among the Aves, species of Ostrich Cranes, &c. ; among the Reptilia, Monitors and Crocodiles of living and extinct species, the enormous Tortoise, Colossochelys Atlas, with numerous species of Emys and Trionyx ; and among fossil fish, Cyprinidoe and Siluridoe. The general facies of the extinct fauna exhibited a congregation of forms participating in European, African, and Asiatic types. Of the mammalian remains all belonged to extinct species ; but of the Reptilia and freshwater Shells some of the fossil species were identical with species now in existence on the continent of India : and from this fact, more than thirty years ago, Dr. Falconer was led to draw important inferences as to the antiquity of the human race " *.

Joint notices of these remarkable discoveries were sent in from time to time and published in your ' Transactions.' Independently of these, Sir Proby Cautley communicated to the Society separate papers " On the Structure of the Sewalik Hills, and the Organic Remains found in them," and " On the Finding of the Remains of a Quadrumanous Animal in the Sewalik Hills," whilst several others bearing on the same subject were published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, and elsewhere. These researches were continued by Sir Proby and Dr. Falconer during eight years with indefatigable perseverance and at great expense ; in 1840 Sir Proby sent this unrivalled collection, which filled 214 cases, each weighing about 4 cwt., to England. This collection was offered to our Society ; but for want of room it had to be declined, and it was placed in the British Museum. It was the intention of Messrs. Falconer and Cautley to describe and illustrate the whole of their large collections in a magnificent work entitled ' Fauna Antiqua Sivalensis,' of which 9 parts were published, but which, to the regret of the scientific world, yet remains to be completed.

In 1837 the Wollaston Medal was awarded in duplicate to Sir Proby (then Captain) Cautley and Dr. Falconer " for their geological researches and their discoveries in fossil geology in the sub- Himalayan Mountains." Although an artillery and not an engineer officer, Sir Proby 's abilities were so highly valued that he was ap-


 * ' Palaeontological Memoirs ' of Hugh Falconer, vol. i. p. 28.