THE CANID.E, OR DOGS. 281 



upper one already shows signs of reduction), also 

 an extremely small difference in the carnassial 

 tooth. Indications even existed in the Ictitherium 

 of the peculiar strength of the premolars of our 

 present hyaenas, which show a predilection for 

 gnawing and crunching bones. Animals of the 

 Viverra type seem to have been the ancestors of 

 this branch. 



In the Lower Eocene strata of Europe, but more 

 particularly in the corresponding deposits of North 

 America, numerous Carnivora have been found 

 which differ more from the living families than 

 most of the fossil genera that were brought into 

 connection with them above, and which, moreover, 

 can be brought into this connection, although, 

 taken as a whole, they prove to be but the first 

 stages of very highly developed beasts of prey from 

 the Upper Eocene. The characteristic which most 

 distinctly indicates the low position of the Early 

 Eocene beasts of prey, is the small development of 

 their brain, which is known to us from the form of 

 the skull, and from natural fillings and castings. In 

 their case the olfactory lobes appear as broad pro- 

 cesses of the fore end of the larger division of the 

 brain, the mid-brain being scarcely covered by it, 

 the back part not at all. As regards Europe, the 



