On a fossil Ox from the Mississippi. 289 



But the two crania from which this description was made, 

 were very imperfect; indeed, too much so to enable natural- 

 ists to pronounce decisively on the subject. 



At a subsequent period, M. Ozeretskovsky obtained another 

 skull almost entire, which he has described very minutely in 

 the Memoirs of the Royal Academy of St. Petersburg, for 

 1SC9-10. 



In reference to this description, Cuvier makes the follow- 

 ing remarks. " From an inspection of the figure given by 

 M. Ozeretskovsky, and comparing it with that of the musk 

 ox, there are marked and evident differences, which neither 

 the description nor figure of Pallas exhibits. The snout is 

 shorter and larger. The pterygoid region, and the space 

 between the pterygoid regions and the arcade, is much shorter ; 

 finally, it would be impossible from the cranium of the living 

 musk ox, to make such a figure as M. Ozeretskovsky has 

 given, in which we see at the same time, the bones of the 

 palate, and the anterior surface of the horns." But in the 

 Mississippi specimen, although the facial bones are wanting, 

 yet their position and direction is apparent; the horns have 

 been evidently in the same line with the bones of the face, or 

 to speak more definitely, the axis of the longest diameter of 

 the horns, is parallel with the bones of the palate ; so that in 

 fact, had the bones of the face been fortunately preserved, 

 one might have seen in our specimen, from a single point of 

 view, the os palati, and the flat anterior surface of the horns. 



It is to be regretted, that the most important measurements 

 which have been omitted, both by Pallas and M. Ozerets- 

 kovsky, are also not to be obtained from our mutilated speci- 

 men. These are, the distance from the posterior part of the 

 palate, to the edge of the foramen magnum ; and from the 

 same part, to the tip of the pterygoid process; the distance 

 between the tips of these processes ; the length and breadth 

 of the zj'gomatic fossa. These measurements, according to 

 Cuvier, are requisite to determine with absolute certainty, 



