966 THE JOHN DAY FAUNA. 



being the horizontal base. The fronto-parietal suture is coarsely zigzag 

 squamosal, and although it is entirely within the temporal fossa, it extends 

 further forwards than in the recent cats. This extension is represented in 

 the panther^ by some curious produced laminae, one on each side, reaching 

 the frontal angle. The parietal and alisphenoid bones have an extensive 

 contact. I do not find the large supraoccipital wormian bone of the recent 

 large cats. ^ 



Foramina. — The foramen wfraorhitale anterius is rather large, is a vertical 

 oval in form, and is presented forwards. Its external border is above the 

 posterior lobe of the second superior premolar. The optic foramen is large, 

 and is separated from the much larger / sphenoorhitale by a short interval. 

 The/ rotundum is near the latter, but is entirely distinct from it; it is a little 

 smaller than the/ oj)ticum, and larger than the/ ovale. The/ ovale is well 

 anterior to the/ lacerum anterius. An alisphenoid foramen. The / post- 

 glenoideum and/ caroficum are well defined; the latter is separated from the 

 jugular, and this in turn from the condyloid foramen. The / postparietale 

 is in the upper part of the inferior half of the parietal bone. There are no 

 mastoid foramina. There are two lateral mentals, one below the anterior 

 (third) premolar, and one below the diastema. The foramen magnum is 

 large, and is wider than deep, as in Archcelurus debilis. 



Dentition. — The crowns of the superior incisors are flattened in front, 

 where they have vertically oval outlines. The face of the external inci- 

 sor is about twice as large as those of the others, and is bounded exter- 

 nally by a considerable face of contact for the inferior canine. The superior 

 canine is of peculiar form, and does not exactly resemble that of any 

 known species of the family Felidce. The anterior border of the crown is 

 a straight line from a point near the base to near the apex. The posterior 

 outline is also nearlj^ straight, having a slight concavity near the base and 

 a slight convexity near the apex. As the anteroposterior diameter at the 

 base is not large, and as the length of the crown is considerable, the result- 

 ing form is peculiarly slender and pike-shaped. The external face is strongly 

 convex anteriorly, turning into a transverse anterior face, which is separated 

 from the inner face by a right-angled ridge. Next to this ridge on the basal 



1 1 find it in skulls whict I have examined. 



