Tootli-marhs of Thylacoleo. I 1 5 



we are aware, those found having been picked up on the shores of 

 the lake, but there is no doubt, like those of Pejark Marsh, that 

 they were originally deposited in a swamp or lagoon, which 

 was afterwards buried under the ashes ejected by the 

 neighbouring volcanoes ; the bones, in this instance being sub- 

 sequently freed by the breaking up of the bed, and cast upon 

 the shores of the lake. In consequence of the bones not having 

 been found in situ, we do not know whether the animals died 

 where the bones occurred in the original bed, and left their 

 skeletons in a complete condition, or whether th© bones were 

 fragmentary from being washed into the lake or lagoon, or 

 broken up in the manner of the Pejark bones. 



We were at first strongly of the opinion that the cuts on the 

 Colongulac bone are of such a nature that they might with 

 considerable certainty be attributed to man ; but, after careful 

 consideration of the bone and comparison with other specimens, 

 referred to later, we realised the possibility of their having 

 been made by some other agency, more particularly as some of 

 the cut bones from Pejark Marsh, without collateral evidence 

 to the contrary, would without doubt be put down to the work 

 of man. 



The bone (Plate XXXVIIL, Figs. 3, 3a) consists of the distal 

 portion of the 4th metatarsal of a large extinct marsupial, probably 

 of Palorchestes, though it is too imperfect to identify definitely. 



It seems as if an attempt had been made to sever the arti- 

 cular head from the shaft by means of two deep, wedge-shaped 

 notches extending a little more than half Avay across the bone. 

 Tlie upper surface of each is at right angles to the longer 

 axis of the bone; the lower faces slope upwards from the mar- 

 gin to meet the former. Tlie greatest width of one notch is 

 approximately 12 mm., and that of the other 10 mm. Where 

 the two notches are confluent on the margin of the bone, the 

 latter has been penetrated to a depth of about 6 mm. The 

 notch on the dorsal surface is, as nearly as can be measured, 

 10 man. in depth, compared with 6 mm. in the case of the ven- 

 tral one. 



As the bone was found some 45 years before it came into the 

 possession of the Museum, the doubt arises as to whether these 

 cuts were made since its discovery. 



