﻿EXTINCT KANGAROOS. 25 1 



FAMILY MACROPODID^ {supra p. ii). 

 GENUS PALORCHESTES. 

 FaIo?'chestes, Owen, Phil. Trans., 1874, p. 797. 



PALORCHESTES AZAEL. 



P.ilorchestes azael, Owen, op. ciL, p. 798; Lydekker, Cat. Foss. 

 Mamm. Brit. Mus., pt. v., p. 237 (1887). 



Characters. — Ttiis species, the sole representative of its genus, 

 is by far the largest known member of the Kangaroo family ; 

 the length of the complete skull being somewhere about six- 

 teen inches. As a genus, this gigantic Kangaroo is charac- 

 terised by the two branches of the lower jaw being firmly 

 welded together at iheir union ; so that the scissor-hke action 

 occurring between the lower incisor teeth cf existing Kangaroos 

 was impossible. The union between the two branches of the 

 lower jaw is elongated ; while the interval between the incisor 

 and premolar teeth was likewise of considerable length. The 

 last upper premolar tooth, which is of medium length, has a 

 well-developed lobe on its inner side, and thereby assumes a 

 triangular form, thus totally departing from the cutting type of 

 tooth characterising the existing members of the family. The 

 corresponding low^er tooth is of the same general type, but has 

 its additional lobe on the outer, instead of the inner side. The 

 molar teeth have smooth enamel, but lack any basal ledge in 

 front of the first ridge, thus resembling the corresponding teeth 

 of the existing Macropiis magnus ; in the lower molars the 

 median longitudinal bridge connecting the two transverse 

 ridges is well developed. In spite of the union of the two 

 branches of the lower jaw, the lower pair of incisor teeth had 

 the same elongated and spatulate fo.m which characterises 

 existing Kangaroos. 



