HAPLODONTIDA—EXTERNAL CHARACTERS OF I. RUFUS. 559 
to the pelage proper of the parts; while there is a scattering patch of the 
same on the chin. The countenance of the animal literally “ bristles”; and, 
as we shall see, similar long colorless bristles occur on other parts of the 
body. 
The eyes are situated in a line between the extremity of the snout and 
the middle of the ear, about half-way, but rather nearer the ear. They are 
remarkably small, the diameter between the canthi being only about a quarter 
of an inch, and appear somewhat sunken and inexpressive, from the tumidity 
of the lids. The ear, it has been said, “ strongly resembles the human one in 
form”, and may be conceded to be not strongly dissimilar in some respects, the 
auricle being rounded above, with a folded-over anterior edge, having a 
thickened projection near the base in front to represent the human antitragus, 
and a fleshy dependent part opposite, in the place of the human lobe. The 
ear is situated upon the most prominent postero-superior aspect of the head, 
and rises about as high as the fur of the surrounding parts; an anterior 
fourth of the auricle is folded over ; when pressed out flat, the contour of the 
auricle is nearly semicircular. The antitragal prominence continues far into 
the cavity, forming a fold which bounds the meatus above; the lower bound- 
ary of the external meatus is the large thick fleshy lobe already alluded to ; 
it seenis to be mobile, and is probably capable of closing the orifice by its 
apposition with the antitragal ridge. The ear is clothed uniformly with short 
soft hairs; there are some longer ones on the concavity which overtop the 
auricle, thus forming a decided fringe, and other long ones in tufts on the 
borders of the ear near its base. These longer hairs are colored; the very 
short ones on the back of the ear, and others on the fleshy lobe, are colorless. 
The fore limbs are close to the head; the outline from the head down 
the front leg is a continuous curve, and the point of the shoulder seems 
scarcely half an inch from the back lower corner of the skull. The massive- 
ness and muscularity of the upper portions of the limb, no less than the 
structure of the hand, indicate great fossorial powers, reminding one of the 
condition of the partsin Geomyide.* From the stout shoulder and prominent 
elbow, the fore limb becomes conoidal, tapering rapidly to the contracted 
wrist, where the ordinary long pelage of the body ceases. ‘The back of the 
“If Haplodon possessed external pouches, its superficial appearance—the stout, squat, lumpy 
figure, the large head, apparent absence of neck, short legs, highly fossorial fore feet, with enormous 
fore claws and great tubercles at the wrist—would more strongly resemble Geomys than any other 
animals of this country. 
