EINAR LÖNNBERG, SOME SOUTH AMERICAN CANID^. 9 



a cave near Tirapata on the Peruvian plateau about 3819 

 m above the sea level. Among these was also the skull of 

 a dog which he regarded as a new species and named Canis 

 peruanus. E. Nordenskiöld recognized quite correctly that 

 this skull with exception for its great size offered a considerable 

 resemblance with »Canis magellanicus». The type skull of 

 »C. peruanus» is now kept in the paleozoological department 

 of the R. Nat. Hist. Museum where I have had the opportunity 

 of examining it with the kind permission of my colleague 

 Professor G. Holm. This examination revealed, as I had 

 suspected, that the agreement between a skull of Pseudalopex 

 lycoides and that of »Canis pervxinus» is almost perfect. 

 The length of both as well as the breadth of the braincase, 

 the length of the palate etc, are practically the same in both. 

 The only difference of any iraportance appears to be that 

 the upper carnassials {p^) of »Canis peruanus» are a little 

 larger than those of P. lycoides, and perhaps is also the 

 palate slightly broader in the former. These discrepancies 

 are, however, so small that if they do no fall within the 

 limits of individual variation they cannot possibly be of 

 more than subspecific value. From this is apparent that a 

 Pseudalopex of the lycoides-type and of the same size as the 

 present Tierra del Fuego race once Ii ved in Peru together 

 with Onohippidiurrif Scelidoiherium and other now exstinct 

 mammals. This fauna had certainly a wide distribution in 

 South America and reached, at least partly, the southern 

 end of the continent as is proved for instance by remains 

 of Onohippidium. Not only bones, but even a piece of skin ^ 

 of an Onohippidium has been found in the famous Cueva 

 Eberhardt near Ultima Esperanza. It is thus quite probable 

 that the large Pseudalopex then found its way to Tierra del 

 Fuego, where it has been able to survive to the present 

 time and found enough food to retain its size, while the on 

 the mainland remaining members for different reasons became 

 modified and split into a number of smaller races from 

 Patagonia (P. magellanicus Gray) to Ecuador {P. reissii Hilzh.). 

 The present inhabitant of the high Peruvian plateau P. 

 culpceus andina Thomas has, to judge from the skull measure- 

 ments, become reduced to only 80 % of the old »Canis peruanus», 

 from which it most probably has sprung. 



^ Proc. Zool. Soc. 1900. 



