BY CHARLES W. DE VIS, B.A. 189 



Since the foregoing notes were penned evidence has occurred 

 of the existence of another carnivor, which may after all have 

 been the chief strewer of broken bones over pliocene ground. 

 Most of us are aware of the ease with which that euphemistically 

 named animal, the Tasmanian Devil, discusses bones of consider 

 able size. S. ursinus has been proved to have been an inhabitant 

 of South Australia in pliocene times by Professor McCoy, who 

 notices the strangeness of the circumstance that it has survived 

 in the island rather than on the mainland. The solubility of the 

 enigma may not be increased by the probability that another and 

 more powerful species of Sarcophilus lived at the same period in 

 Northern Australia ; but the full discovery of the fact will at 

 least serve to explain in great part the matter under notice. The 

 sole relic yet detected of this species (nominally 8. prior) is the 

 head with. a little of the shaft of a right tibia. In S. ursinus the 

 transverse and fore and aft measurements of the articular surface, 

 including the deflected rotular process are equal — calling each of 

 these 25, the measurements of S. prior are respectively, transverse 

 35, longitudinal 37 — numbers indicating a greater size by one-half 

 nearly, and a comparatively elongated head. The general form of 

 the two bones is one, their peculiarities many. In both the 

 cavity for the inner condyle is the deeper, but in S. prior it is 

 proportionately more excavated than in S. ursinus, and it is 

 differently situated. In the latter it is placed as backward as 

 possible, its hinder border being the edge of the shaft — in the 

 former it is brought more directly over the axis of the bone and a 

 wide non-articular edge is left between it and the brim of the 

 shaft. The outer cavity in S. prior is larger proportionately, but 

 not deeper than in the recent species. The spine is considerably 

 higher and stronger, and the ridge continued from it anteriorly, 

 more sharply defined. The rotular process descending at the 

 same angle is however longer, its edge is rather deeply emarginate. 

 The intercondylar groove is deeper and extends on to the 

 base of the spine. The fibular facet is further removed from 

 the spine by the greater posterior expansion of the articular 

 surface for the outer condyle. On the inner side of the shaft it 



