30 NATURAL SCIENCE. Jan.. 



Museum exceedingly rich in the fossil Vertebrates of Argentina ; but on 

 my arrival the reality far exceeded my most eager expectations, and 

 (luring my first walk through the seemingly endless galleries of the 

 Museum I was absolutely lost in astonishment and admiration at the 

 number and beauty of its palaeontological treasures. We find, for 

 instance, in one of the galleries devoted to the display of the 

 mammalian remains from the Pampean beds and the somewhat 

 older formations of Monte Hermoso, near Bahia Blanca, two com- 

 plete skeletons of Toxodon, while another of Macvauchenia lacks only 

 a few of the hinder trunk-vertebrae. The latter genus is also repre- 

 sented by three complete mounted limbs ; while around the walls 

 are ranged, in almost endless number, skulls, jaws, teeth, and limb- 

 bones of Toxodon, Typotheriuiii, and Macvauchenia, belonging to indi- 

 viduals of all ages and sizes. Perhaps, however, the greatest treasures 

 of this striking gallery are the skull of that remarkable Toxodont 

 which has been described as Trigodon, but should properly be known 

 as Toxodontotherium, and the skull and jaws of the allied Zotodon ; the 

 former being from the Monte Hermoso deposits, while the latter 

 comes from distant Catamarca. It must be added that while one of 

 the skeletons of Toxodon is formed from the bones of a single individual, 

 the second has been completed from the remains of two animals. 

 And here I may say a word in praise of the admirable manner in 

 which all the skeletons have been mounted and the broken specimens 

 restored by Sefior Giacomo Pozzi, the Articulator of the Museum. 

 At the present time the whole of the invaluable series of mounted 

 fossil skeletons are arranged along the middle of the galleries without 

 any kind of protection from injury. Since the palaeontological section 

 of the Museum is not yet thrown open to the general public, this 

 unprotected state of the specimens does not lead to much harm, but 

 I may venture to express the hope that when the v/hole Museum is 

 opened the Government will be fully aware of the priceless value and 

 world-wide interest of these unique specimens, and the necessary 

 steps taken for providing suitable cases for their protection. 



Leaving the Toxodont gallery (which is seen in the background 

 on the right side of our third illustration) we pass on to a large hall 

 containing the remains of Megatherimn. Here we find one entire 

 skeleton of this giant ground-sloth, while facing it is the trunk and 

 pelvis of a second, with the greater part of the fore-limbs attached. 

 Several mounted specimens of limbs and other portions of the skeleton 

 occupy the centre of this chamber ; and in the wall-cases are arranged 

 numerous detached bones and some magnificent specimens of the 

 skull, one of the latter being noteworthy on account of its enormous 

 size. In the next gallery we come to a magnificent series of mounted 

 skeletons of the Mylodons and their allies, the more or less nearly 

 complete specimens being six in number (including one of Scelido- 

 theriuin), while there is the greater part of the trunk of a seventh. 

 These mounted specimens range in size from the gigantic Mylodon 



