NOTE AS TO THI-: OCCURRENCE AND THE ARSENCE OF OSSICONES 

 IN SPECIMENS OF OK.VPI, AND AS TO liROAD AND NARROW SKEERS. 



TllK fact that vc'i'v small, apparently j-oiuig, " ossicoiu's," destined to develop to full 

 size and to become ankylosed to the skull, liave been found in a full-sized specimen of 

 Okapi (Skull C, figured in Tlute 4, fig. ], and Plate 8, fig. 1) makes it uncertain 

 whether the pi'esence of these structures can Ije rightly regarded as a character of the 

 male, or that their absence is to be held us a character of tlie female. The large skull C 

 (Rowland Ward's specimen purchased ])y the British Museum) is not that of an adult, 

 although probabl}^ fidl-gi-own. In this specimen, as in Sir Harry Johnston's large 

 specimen (Skull A), and in Mr. Boyd Alexander's (Skull D),the three deciduous molars of 

 the u[iper jaw ai'e still in use. The three individuals were approximately of the same age 

 and sub-adult. In A there is no roughness (though there is a " va.sculari.sed " patch as 

 stated in my original description of it) on the frontal bone corresponding to the attachment 

 of an ossiconi', and hence I concluded (when describing it ten years ago), in view of its 

 large size, -that this individual was permanently hornless. But it is necessary to mention 

 here that the taxidermist, who mounted the skin belonging to this skull for the British 

 Museum, found a small fibrous body on each side in the integument of the head corre- 

 sponding in position to the ossicones, and I do not doubt (now that the small bony 

 ossicones of Skidl C, found in the same position, have become known to me) that these 

 little lumps in the sj)ecimen A wei-e commencing ossicones. Unfortunately they were not 

 preserved. In A\^ird's specimen (Skull C) the skull is as free from any rough growth, 

 indicating the attachment of the ossicuue on either side, as it is in Sir Harry Johnston's 

 specimen (^SkuU A). On the other hand, the skull (D) of ]\lr. Boyd Alexander's specimen 

 has a roughly marked area on each frontal bone and two faii'ly large but inunature 

 ossicones, which, though separate, fit on to the roughened patches. I have had, it 

 therefore a|)[)ears, no Okapi skull in my hands which was devoid of ossicones or 

 detached connnencements of them, and yet was adult or sub-adult. On the other 

 hand, M. Fraipont has recorded at least one such specimen, and this (No. IH'J) was trans- 

 mitted to the Tervueren Museum as that of a female (Plate IG, fig. K). Though it may 

 very possibly be the case that the adult female Okapi has no ossicones, I think that it 

 must be regarded as still a doui)tful (juestion as to whether this is the case. Full-grown 

 skulls without ossicones may develop these structures later. The rare absence of ossicones 

 in a truly adult specimen may be due, not to sex, but to individual variation. In marked 

 contrast to the Okapi, the Giraffe is born with the ossicones in a soft uucalcitied condition 



