3l8 SCOTT. [Vol. XL 



which indicate the limits of the soft palate in front of the pre- 

 molars, are in many existing ruminants placed quite close to 

 the median line, so that part of the ventral surface of the 

 maxillary is not covered by the soft palate. In Protoceras, on 

 the other hand, these ridges run along the angle formed by the 

 meeting of the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the bones, 

 which thus do not curve into each other so gently as in the 

 modern forms mentioned. The posterior palatine foramina 

 occupy a very unusual position. Ordinarily in ruminants, as 

 in other mammals, they are situated in or near the maxillo- 

 palatine suture, but in Protoceras they are placed just internal 

 to pj_ and from them deeply marked vascular grooves run for- 

 ward to the incisive foramina. These, perhaps, represent the 

 foramina which in Oreodon and Ancodus occur opposite Af. 



The palatines are rather small bones and hardly do more 

 than form a border around the posterior nares ; they are sepa- 

 rated from the molars by a considerable strip of the maxillaries, 

 whereas in the Pecora the palatines are almost in contact with 

 the molar fangs. The posterior nares are much more ruminant 

 than suilline in character and yet are peculiar in many ways. 

 The canal is very elongate antero-posteriorly, but is very 

 narrow and of considerably less vertical height than is usual in 

 the Pecora, a feature which is correlated with the relatively 

 small elevation of the cranium above the level of the face. 

 The anterior border of the opening is placed between the 

 second pair of molars and has a short thickened median spine. 

 The palatine notches are narrow and shallow, as compared with 

 those of the deer ; they are not formed, as in the Pecora gen- 

 erally, by a constriction of the palatines, but lie between the 

 latter and the maxillaries. The pterygoids are thin, slender 

 plates of bone of no great height, which terminate in slightly 

 thickened and everted hamular processes. There are no ptery- 

 goid fossae and no such separation between the distal ends of 

 the pterygoids and alisphenoids as occurs in the Tylopoda. 



The mandible is altogether pecoran in character, resembling 

 that of Lcptomeryx but little and that of the oreodonts not at 

 all. The horizonal ramus is very long and quite slender, in 

 accordance with the great proportional length of the molar- 



