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III. History of the Discovery of the Fossil Elephant of Malta, with a Description of the Fissure in which it was Originally Found

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

A. Leith Adams
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Extract

About Midsummer of the year 1857, when a quarry was being made in the soft calcareous sandstone in the district of Gaudia, near the village of Micabba, Malta, one of the numerous fissures so common in all the formations of the two islands was observed to run in a straight line about E. and W. It was a simple vent, with several funnel-shaped expansions, and, as usual, was filled with red earth and stones. Among the débris of one of these expansions, several bones of large size attracted the attention of the workmen, and Dr. Speteri Agius, LL.D., a gentleman residing in the neighbourhood, having heard of the discovery, repaired to the spot, and picked up from among the exuvise a portion of a tooth and several fragments of bones, which he deposited in the Museum of the Maltese University. Shortly afterwards, a dispute between the proprietor and the lessee of the quarry put an end to the excavation, and the entire cavity was filled with rubbish, and levelled out into afield. In that condition it remained until reopened in June 1865.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 2 , Issue 17 , November 1865 , pp. 488 - 491
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1865

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References

* The last true molar was of unusual size for this elephant. I fortunately was enabled to take its measurements before it was partially destroyed in removing the matrix. The extreme leDgth of the crown was inches; the length of surface in wear, inches; number of plaits, 10, and a talon ridge; number of disks of wear, 8.