184 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



the anterior two right lower premolars. The horn-sheaths are 

 represented by the distal half or more of each, but the basal portion 

 had decayed before exhumation. The bone is in a fine state of 

 preservation, apparently mineralized, and not adhering when the 

 tongue is applied to it. The surface is irregularly stained and mot- 

 tled with light and dark brown. The lachrymals and the edges 

 of the adjoin mg bones, the anterior faces of the pedicels of the honi- 

 cores and some streaks across the forehead are of a light buff color. 

 WhUe the annual was mature, it was not aged. The suture be- 

 tween the frontal bones is still open to withm about 40 mm. of the 

 coronal suture; while the latter may be said to be just beginning 

 to close. The teeth are well preserved and in fine condition for 

 study. A comparison of the diameters of the horn-core and the 

 length shows that the animal lacked considerable of being as large 

 as either the type specimen or the one represented by the skull now 



Fig. 7.— Bison axleni. Skull in United States National Museum, No. 7706. View from the 



EEAE. 



in Stanford University, California.^ That the specimen belonged to 

 B. alleni seems evident from the rather long, slender, and uniformly 

 curved horn-cores (fig. 7). They are much different from those of 

 any of the species already mentioned in this paper. As will be 

 seen from the illustrations, the horns are dhected outward, upward, 

 somewhat backward, and at length strongly inward. Toward the 

 points they are thrown backward more than in No. 2383 of the 

 United States National Museum, Such differences must be regarded 

 as probably due to mdividual or sexual variation. On account of 

 the weathering to which the skull was probably subjected before 

 burial, the materials of the horn-sheaths is considerably loosened 

 up and splintered. The color of this is mostly gray, but toward the 

 tips the bonis are much darker. These tips were originally probably 

 nearly black for a distance of a hundred millimeters or more. On 

 taking a fuU-face view of the skull (pi. 16, fig. 1) it wOl be seen that 



'Lucas, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 21, p. 766, pis. 79 and 80. 



