Page:VCH Derbyshire 1.djvu/83

 PALEONTOLOGY THE vertebrate palaeontology of Derbyshire is restricted to remains from two widely separated epochs the Carboniferous and the Pleistocene. In the latter epoch the rock-fissure of Windy Knoll near Castleton, and the caverns at Matlock Bath, Cresswell Crags, Wirksworth, and elsewhere have yielded a large series of mammalian remains. In the former epoch a number of species of fishes have been recorded from the Coal Measures, Yoredale Rocks, and Mountain Limestone of the county. It will be unnecessary on this occasion to refer by name to all of the numerous bone caves in the limestone rocks of the county. Special mention should, however, be made of the ' Dream Cave ' near Wirks- worth, as being one of those explored by Dean Buckland in the early part of the last century. This cave is noteworthy on account of having contained the entire skeleton of a rhinoceros. Another celebrated cave is that of the Peak, at Castleton, which was also explored at an early date. Among the most recent of the mammaliferous deposits in the county appears to be one in a rock-fissure at Windy Knoll near Castleton, which has been carefully described by Messrs. Pennington and Dawkins, 1 by the latter of whom the fauna is regarded as of late Pleistocene age. The remains include bones of a bison perhaps the existing Bos bonasus reindeer, brown bear (perhaps two races), wolf, fox, and common hare. The bison bones are largely those of young animals, whereas those of the reindeer belong chiefly or entirely to adult individuals ; and from this it has been suggested that reindeer may have visited the locality only in winter. No traces of the mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, or hippopot- amus were observed. The caves of Cresswell Crags (to which attention will be chiefly restricted in this article) have been explored by the Rev. J. Mello, 8 and their fauna described by Messrs. Busk and Dawkins. One of the earliest of these to be visited is that known as the rock-fissure cavern, from which the late Professor Busk 8 recorded the following species, viz. : brown bear (Ursus arcfus, var.), cave-hya?na (Hyana crocuta spe/aa), wolf (Canis lupus), fox (C. i)ulpes], Arctic fox (C. /agopus), wolverine (Gulo luscus), wild ox or bison (Bos sp.), giant fallow deer, commonly 1 Quart. Joun. Geol. Soc. xxxiii. 724. * Ibid. xxxi. 679 ; xxxii. 245 ; xxxiii. 724. 3 Ibid. xxxi. 683. 35