THE  existence  of  Post-pliocene  deposits  in  this  neighbourhood
has  until  lately  been  quite  unknown,  nothing  of  the  kind
haying  been  detected  either  by  the  Geological  Survey  or  subsequent
observers.  However,  in  the  winter  of  1866,  a  small  section  was  ex-
posed in  a  bi-ick -field  situated  on  a  low  rising-ground  at  the  first  mile-
stone out  of  Shaftesbury  towards  Gillingham,  and  known  as  Hawkers'
Hill.  Tlie  clay  here  dug  for  brickmaking  is  Eimmeridge,  pre-
senting fossilized  bones  of  the  Pliosaurus  and  lethyoaaurus,  and
very  fnable  remains  of  an  Ammonite,  etc.  The  attention  of  the
writer  was  first  attracted  to  the  Drift  on  observing,  above  part  of
the  Eimmeridge  clay,  a  thin  section  of  soil  of  an  ochreous  tint  due  to
oxide  of  iron,  and  somewhat  resembling  the  loose  stratum  of  chert
and  sand  which  caps  the  neighbouring  Green-sand  rock.  He
learnt  on  inquiring  of  the  labourers  that  they  had  recently  found
some  large  bones  in  this  deposit,  but  thinking  them  of  no  use  they
had  wheeled  them  oflf  with  the  rubbish,  in  which  they  then  lay,
e£fectually  re-buried.  Much  interested  at  this  announcement,  he
induced  the  men  again  to  remove  the  rubbish,  and  found  that
the  bones  were  some  vertebrae  of  a  large  mammalian  animal,
together  with  fragments  of  the  ribs  and  leg-bones.  They  were,  of
course,  not  at  all  fossilized,  and  their  original  weak  state  had  been
sadly  aggravated  by  a  second  burial  and  disintennent  Nothing
more  was  turned  out  that  winter,  and  it  was  not  until  the  end  of  1867,
that  digging  was  resumed.  Further  portions  of  the  same  skeleton
were  now  found,  including  another  instalment  of  vertebra),  and  por-
tions of  the  skull  and  jaws.  With  the  latter  were  several  teeth  in  a
sufficiently  entire  state  to  show  that  the  creature  was  undoubtedly  a
Hippopotamus ;  numerous  fragments  of  the  tusks  a£fording  further
proof  of  this.  Tlie  writer  now  frequently  visited  and  watched  "the
diggings,"  and  after  a  short  time  two  horn-cores,  considerable  por-
tions of  the  skull,  and  some  fragments  of  the  leg-bones  of  Bison
prisctu  of  unusual  size  came  to  light.  The  more  perfect  horn-core  is
18  inches  long  and  14  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base.
