VERTEBRATE ANIMALS FOUND AT RAYLEIGH CASTLE.
17
were certainly familiar objects in Chaucer's time, as witness the
lines in the Romaunt of the Rose5 and the Assembly of Foules6
which he quoted. It is, therefore, satisfactory to have the
literary evidence supported by the remains from the Rayleigh
midden. [Skeat has recently pointed out, however, that the
Romaunt of the Rose is merely a translation of a much
earlier French poem, and, therefore, is really not evidence. For
a valuable discussion of this question the reader may be
referred to Part X. of Barrett Hamilton's British Mammals
(pub. Feb. 1912, pp. 184-191). The Rayleigh Castle record
appears to be the earliest positive evidence of the re-introduc-
tion of the Rabbit into Britain which we possess.—May, 1912.]
3. Lepus europaeus (Common Hare).—A humerus, tibia,
and young femur are referable to the Common Hare. The
humerus and tibia indicate an animal of very large size ; the
extreme length of the former bone is 111 mm., and of the latter
147mm., dimensions which equal those of the corresponding
bones in some of the larger forms of the group of Varying
Hares.7 Nevertheless the tibia agrees exactly in form with that
of the Common Hare, which does not appear to have arrived
in England until after the Pleistocene period ; its remains are
known from Romano-British deposits.
4. Mus rattus (Black Rat).—A left femur, the extreme
length of which is 36.2 mm., agrees in form and size with the
femur of this species. The specimen is whitish in colour, and
may be somewhat more recent than most of the remains from the
midden.
5. Felis (Domestic Cat).—A right mandibular ramus
has the following dimensions :—Length, 51 mm. ; molar series
(alveolar), 17 mm. It agrees in size with that of the domestic
cat.
6. Canis familiaris (Domestic Dog).—The dog is repre-
sented by part of the skull and mandible, together with a humerus
of an aged individual. Alveolar length of mandibular molars
and premolars, 72 mm. ; length of lower carnassial, 22.3 ; of
upper carnassial, 19.4 ; length of humerus, 147.
7. Canis vulpes (Common Fox).—A nearly-complete
5 Ed. by Thomas Tyrwhitt, 1860, p. 231, vv. 1405-9.
6 Ed. cit., p. 350, v. 193.
7 Scient. Proc. Royal Dublin Soc., xii. (n.s.), pp. 247, 254 (1909).