of Horses and Wild Boars. 510 



The lower head of the radius of the horse is divided into 

 two fncels, by an almost perpendicular ridge ; thjtt of the 

 ox is divided into three^ by two very oblique ridges. 



The ox has one bone less in the carpus than the horse, 

 because its os trapezoides is confounded with the great bone. 

 Every person is acquainted with the difference of their me- 

 tacarpus and their hoofs. 



The ischion of the ox has its tuberosity higher than that 

 of the horse, and the os ileum oFthe latter, on the contrary, 

 is higher at its upper angle : this occasions the striking dif- 

 ference in the crupper of the two animals. 



The femur of the horse has three trochanters ; that of the 

 ox has only two, and the great trochanter is less elevated. 



The lower head of the tibia of the ox is rectangular, and 

 has at its inner edge a facet for the articulation of the fi- 

 bula ; that of the horse is very oblique, and almost trian* 

 gular. 



The same difference of obliquity is discernible in the 

 astragali : that of the horse, besides, has but a very small 

 facet for the os cuboides ; (hat of the ox rests on this bone 

 nearly the half of its inferior head. 



The OS scaphoides of the horse is much larger than it» 

 cuboides, and remains always distinct from it : in the ox 

 these two bones are equally large, and are always com* 

 pounded. The horse has only one os cunciforme, and the 

 ox has two. 



The differences of the metatarsus and of the hoofs, which 

 have occasioned those of the tarsus, are known to all natu-» 

 ralists. 



By means of these short and simple characters we may 

 easily distinguish the bones of the extremities of the two 

 species. 



Each of the vertebrae, separately examined, would also 

 furnisli characteristics ; but the detail would be endless, 

 and it is very rare that we find vertebrae isolated from other 

 bones. I think I have now furnished geologists with all 

 that is requisite. 



Article II. Of the Fossil Bones of Wild Boars, 

 I do not find many indications of the teeth of these ani- 

 mals in authors : all those that I have seen, came from peat 

 mosses, or other recent soils ; and I do not know if thev 

 ever accompanied the bones of elephants. 



Walch mentions the vertebrae of a petrified hog, alluded 

 toby Luid, and after him by Argenville; but we cannot 

 trust to such authors or their descriptions. Gmelin, Wal- 



lerius. 



