some Ungual Phalanges. 309 



tins paper strictly dealing with the matter under considera- 

 tion, we find Mr. Krefft writing as follows : — et The claw to 

 which I more particularly refer as being that of a ' mega- 

 theroid animal/ and which, with its next joint, is deposited 

 in the Australian Museum .... is what I stated it to be — 

 ' the ungual or terminal phalanx of a creature allied to 

 Mylodon.'' The upper face of the sheath is naturally open ; 

 and the next joint is short and thick, like some of the 



phalanges of Professor Owen's Mylodon I only draw 



attention to the probability that there were in olden times, 

 as at the present day, small Edentata as well as lai'ge ones ; 

 and as I first discovered the presence of fossil edentate 

 Monotremes in this country, I may be allowed to say, with 

 the evidence before me, that animals allied to the Mylodon 

 will yet be found " *. 



Before proceeding to consider Krefft's fourth reference it 

 is necessary to ascertain what Sir Richard Oweu said of 

 these terminal phalanges. It appears photographs were sent 

 to Owen by Krefft, but how many and whether or no with 

 the latter's Mylodon name attached there is no evidence to 

 show. " Amongst the fossils obtained by Professor (A. M.) 

 Thomson and Mr. Krefft from the breccia-caves of Welling- 

 ton Valley were several ungual phalanges, some of which, 

 equalling or surpassing* those of a lion, were compressed, 

 the vertical exceeding the transverse diameter, and being 

 considerable in proportion to the length : these phalanges 

 are curved and pointed, but the point is more or less blunted 

 or broken, apparently after interment. They support a claw, 

 and in most there are traces more or less plainly discernible 

 of a bony sheath f which bound or strengthened the attach- 

 ment of the base of the claw." 



Owen then described the bones separately and continued : — 

 " From these specimens may be inferred a spelaean animal 

 with subcompressed decurved pointed claws, equalling or 

 exceeding those of the Lion or Tiger in size, but supported 

 by phalanges resembling those of Thylacinus, Dasyurus, and 

 the Opossums in being non-retractile, or wanting the 

 characteristic low position of the joint in the sheathed 

 claw-bones of placental Felines, but resembling these phal- 

 anges, rather than the non-contractile ones of the marsupials 

 above mentioned, in the proportion of depth to length and 

 breadth." And finally : — " No evidence of a Megatheroid 

 or other Edentate animal has been found from any cave or 



* Krefft, ibid. pp. 180-181. 



j So far as I can gather only one exhibited this. 



