ar. The wolf lingered on until the beginning of
the last century; and the Irish greyhound has passed with it also. The
gigantic Irish elk, _Cervus megaseros_, belongs more to the
palaeontologist than to the historian, as it is supposed to have existed
only in pre-historic times. A smaller variety has been found in peat
overlaying the clay, from which it is inferred that some species may
have been contemporary with the human race. The horse co-existed with
the elephant. The red deer was the principal object of chase from an
early period. The wild boar found abundant food from our noble oaks; and
the hare, the rabbit, the goat, and the sheep supplied the wants of the
Celt in ancient as in modern times. But the great wealth of Ireland
consisted in her cows, which then, as now, formed a staple article of
commerce. Indeed, most of the ancient feuds were simply cattle raids,
and the successful party signalized his victory by bearing off the
bovine wealth of the vanquished enemy.

It is impossible exactly to estimate the population of Ireland at this
period with any degree of reliable exactitude. The only method of
approximating thereto should be based on a calculation of the known or
asserted number of men in arms at any given time. When Roderic and his
allies invested the Normans in Dublin, he is said to have had 50,000
fighting men. Supposing this to include one-fourth of all the men of the
military age in the country, and to bear the proportion of one-fifth to
the total number of the inhabitants, it would give a population of about
a million, which would probably be rather under than over the correct
estimate.

[Illustration: FERRITER'S CASTLE.]

FOOTNOTES:

[245] _Day_.--Wilkinson's _Geology and Architecture of Ireland_, p. 59.

[246] _Celt_.--Catalogue of R.I.A. p. 43. This celt is the largest
discovered in Ireland, and is formed of coarse clay-slate. It is 22
inches long, 1 inch thick, and 3-3/4 broad at the widest part. It was
found in the bed of the river Blackwater, two miles below Charlemont,
county Armagh.

[247] _Axe_.--Catalogue of R.I.A. p. 80. Sir W. Wilde pronounces this to
be one of the most beautiful specimens of the stone battle-axe which has
been found in Ireland, both for design and execution. It is composed of
fine-grained remblendic sylicite, and is highly polished all over. It
was found in the river at Athlone.

[248] _Wright_.--_History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments_, p. 11.

[249] _Hal