. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology. . Fig. 1 Alectoris sutcliffei sp. nov. Holotype, distal end of left tibiotarsus, BM(NH) no. A4165. (Left to right) distal, internal, external, anterior views. The predominant bird bones found were those of the Common Shelduck. This species presents two problems; it is a large and heavy prey for an avian predator, and a bird of estuaries and coasts. The coast is at present several miles from Tornewton Cave and is unlikely to have been much nearer the cave in the past. The Shelduck feeds on tidal mudflats. Although it may fly inland to
. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Geology. . Fig. 1 Alectoris sutcliffei sp. nov. Holotype, distal end of left tibiotarsus, BM(NH) no. A4165. (Left to right) distal, internal, external, anterior views. The predominant bird bones found were those of the Common Shelduck. This species presents two problems; it is a large and heavy prey for an avian predator, and a bird of estuaries and coasts. The coast is at present several miles from Tornewton Cave and is unlikely to have been much nearer the cave in the past. The Shelduck feeds on tidal mudflats. Although it may fly inland to utilize concealed nest sites, it is doubtful if this would explain the number of fossil remains. The presence at the same period of the Brent Goose, a similar large species of tidal mudflats, and possibly of the Wigeon which also occurs on this type of habitat in winter, tends to support the suggestion of a predator hunting along the shore. Foxes and wolves were present at the time, but even if they could produce the type of specimens found, it seems unlikely that mammalian predators of this type would be persistently successful in killing Shelduck, or would have transported them for long distances overland. Two avian predators large enough to have taken such prey are known from the Tornewton Cave - the Eagle-owl and the White-tailed Sea-eagle. The former is unlikely to have moved very far from the cave to hunt, and may have concentrated mainly on mammalian prey. The Sea-eagle, however, usually hunts and scavenges on seacoasts, taking numbers of ducks and larger waterfowl. The Shelduck, which is conspicuous at a distance, feeds on mudflats where it cannot dive to avoid a winged predator, and is fairly slow to take flight, would be a natural prey for the eagle. Sea-eagles are not normally cave-nesters and it is not obvious how they would have utilized the Tornewton site. It is possible that the rock platform at the top entrance might have formed a nest site from which food and
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