Occasional Magazine Vol.4 No.6 (June 1931)

Notes on the Early Mammalia of the Hampshire Coastal Area by Dr. G. Fuller England. Fossil remains of primeval animals have been found in the Isle of Wight, the Hampshire Basin (particularly the Hordle cliffs) and the London Basin. They are of marine origin from the Eocene period of the Tertiary era. The next succeeding period, the Oligocene, yields deposits in the Isle of Wight, South Hants and Devonshire. The last of the Tertiary systems, the Pleistocene, corresponding to Paleolithic man, shows alluvial deposits unearthed in the Test and Itchen estuaries, such as mud, valley gravels, boulder clays and brick earth. The author shows what features of bones and teeth distinguish mammal from bird or reptile, permitting the fossils from these eras to be identified and classified. He outlines the habitats of the Eocene and Pleistocene periods, whose profound geological and climatic changes would have determined the numerous species of mammal whose remains have been found locally. He gives careful descriptions of the whole range of species, apologising for having to use scientific terminology but including for the general reader comparisons with familiar present-day animals. The paper is a well written overview of a very large subject.