CANID^. 915 



tion of the species in question from the genus Canis, as has been proposed 

 in the case of some of the species in Europe. Through the kindness of M. 

 Filhol, I possess jaws of a number of the species found by himself and 

 others in the Phosphorites of Central France, including the Canis velaunus, 

 the type of the genus Cynodon of Aymard. These agree very nearly with 

 the species of dogs from the American Miocene beds as to generic charac- 

 ters. Professor Owen, in the paper above cited, proposed to distinguish 

 the genus Galecynus on account of the greater length of the pollex as com- 

 pared with that found in the existing species of Canis. This character 

 appears to me to be of an unsatisfactory nature, owing to the fact that 

 gradations in the length of a digit are difficult to express with precision in 

 other than a specific sense; and the gradations may certainly be expected 

 to occur. I therefore formerly regarded all these species as belonging to 

 the genus Canis. 



I subsequently found in the O. geismarianus a character which sepa- 

 rates the genus from Canis, viz, the presence of the epitrochlear foramen of 

 the humerus. In this point it agrees with AmpMcyon and Temnocyon. I 

 arrange cotemporary and generally similar species under the same generic 

 head,, as the most reasonable course in the absence of direct evidence. 



The American species of Galecynus, then, may be arranged as follows: 



I. Smaller species with little or uo sagittal crest. 



♦Temporal ridges imiting close behind orbits; otic bullae small. 



Small; no exrernal ridge ou inferior sectorial O. gregarius Cope, 



** Temporal ridges uniting early; otic buIlfB large. 



Larger; no external ridge on inferior sectorial ; teeth robust. 0. geismarianus Cope. 

 Smaller; an external ridge on lower sectorial ; teeth more robust. (?. latidens Cope. 

 ** Temporal ridges not uniting anteriorly; otic bullse large. 



Least; muzzle narrow ; superior tuberculars wide; no external ridge on inferior 

 sectorial 0. lemur Cope. 



There are three species which are only known from mandibular rami, 

 whose positions in the above analytical table I cannot fix. These are 

 Canes vafer and temerarius of Leidy, of the Loup Fork epoch, and the C. 

 lippincottianus Cope, of the White River. As I can add nothing to Mr. 

 Leidy's descriptions of the first two, I only mention them here. They are 

 probably true Canes. 



