998 THE JOHN DAY TAUKA. 



The facies is quite different from that of the species heretofore de- 

 scribed, the profile more nearly resembling that of some of the smaller 

 species which belong to the genus Felts. It is much less convex than 

 usual, for though the nasal bones descend, the sagittal crest is horizontal 

 and the occiput vertical, when the sphenoid bone is held in a horizontal 

 position. The side of the face is slightly concave in front of the orbit, 

 and plane in front of the infraorbital foramen as far as the gentle curva- 

 ture to the nareal border. There is a low protuberance on each frontal bone, 

 near the maxillary suture, a little nearer the median suture than the super- 

 ciliary border. From it the surface descends rapidly to the superciliary 

 border. The postorbital process is longer and more recurved than in any 

 of the species of the White River period, resembling more nearly that of 

 the recent Felidce. The orbit has less vertical and more lateral presentation 

 than in many of the species, owing to the less prominence of the anterior 

 part of the zygoma It is of a vertically oval form, owing largely to the 

 shortness of its superciliary border. The parts of the zygoma remaining 

 are slender, and the malar portion turns inwards below. The sagittal crest 

 is long, but is quite narrow and low. The brain-case is relatively large, 

 and the parietal surface of the temporal fossa is regularly convex. The 

 occiput is quite wide, and does not project backwai'ds as in the larger and 

 many of the smaller cats The lateral crests are not prominent, and are 

 quite obsolete above the mastoid region. The posterior face is impressed 

 by a number of small fossfe and foramina. Though the occiput is some- 

 what imperfect, there is evidence that there was no paroccipital process; 

 even less than the rudiment found in most of the recent Felidce. Above its 

 position, forming the external expansion of the exoccipital bone, is a low 

 tuberosity. The posttympanic process is quite long, and is subcylindric 

 and truncate. It does not touch the postglenoid. The lateral occipital 

 crest is continued as a delicate ridge which divides it lengthwise externally. 

 It does not give off the suprameatal crest, which is low, but expands into 

 the thin posterior superior edge of the squamosal part of the zygoma. The 

 latter is more expanded posteriorly than anteriorly. The anterior part of 

 the basioccipital has a median groove, which is continued on the basi- 

 sphenoid. The pterygoid processes of the palatine bone have rounded infe- 



