102 THE MAMMALIA. 



life of Plagiaulax as expressed by its dentition 

 which has been carried on with much animation, 

 more particularly by English enquirers, also affects 

 a Marsupial of the Diluvium ; and Owen has ex- 

 pressed his conviction as to the carnivorous habits 

 of the animal (which is almost the size of a lion) 

 by the name he gives to it, i.e. Thylacolco carnifex. 

 Its skull, like that of many of the Marsupials, 

 shows the peculiarity of strongly developed middle 

 incisors. The canines and front cheek-teeth are very 

 insignificant. But both above and below follows 

 a huge, compressed premolar which involuntarily 

 reminds us of the canine of the large cats of our 

 day. The rest of the back teeth, also, do not op- 

 pose the supposition of its being carnivorous, hence 

 here again we do not understand Owen's learned 

 opponent who would characterise Thylacoleo as a 

 plant-eater. We agree with Owen's opinion that 

 none of the existing Carnivorous Marsupials show 

 a similar concentration of the dentition such a 

 good or serviceable set of teeth as Thylacoleo^ in 

 whose case this direction of development has ex- 

 hausted itself. But does our Marsupial Lion show 

 affinity with Plagiaulax^ as Cope would have us 

 believe ? Quite apart from the question of food, 

 we consider a transition from the dentition of 



