16(5 LÖNNBERG, SOME REMAINS OF NEOMYLODON LISTAI. 



Owen's figures (1. c.) Mylodon has, to a certain degree, walkcd 

 on tlie exterior, lateral surfaces of the toes. To judge from 

 thc depressed form of tlie claw of »Neomylodom this animal 

 caimot have done that, at least not to tlie same extent. Bat 

 if we put this claw on a plane snrface so that the side most 

 worn (the left) and the tip lie close to the ground we find the 

 other side (the right) elevated from the ground to an extent 

 of about half a centimeter at the middle of the claw. Per ana- 

 logiam it can he concluded that the more worn side has been 

 the distal (outer) side and then it liecomes clear that this claw 

 must have been the claw of the third toe of the left bind foot 

 and not that of the second toe of the right foot, for in such a 

 case it should have been worn on the other side. To judge 

 from the inferior surface of this claw the bony clawprocess of 

 the ungual phalanx has been convex in the middle but concave 

 on each side on its ander surface in the same way as Owen 

 has described it from Mylodon rouustus. The lingual phalanges 

 of that animal have had large osseous sheaths at their bases. 

 It is probable that the same has been the case with ->>Nco- 

 myloäon», too, to judge from the great extension which the 

 dorsal Krallenwall» has had. 



A few questions still remain which ought to be answered 

 if possible. This »Neomylodon» does it yet exist among living 

 animals? How large is it or has it been? Can it be re- 

 garded as identical with the animal Lista shot at, or not? 

 None of these are easily answered. Dr. 0. Nordenskjöld 

 thinks that he recollects that the largest piece of skin he 

 saw and which the farm-labourers had taken, was about V/v 

 m., this was however not complete in any direction. It made 

 the Impression on him, he says, as if it had belonged to a 

 large animal like a sea lion or something of that size. As 

 the skin was dried without stretching it must have shrunk 

 a good deal, at least a third or perhaps more. It can thus 

 be stated with comparative correctness that the animal must 

 have been at least 2 m. in length, but probably more than 

 that, even without counting head and tail. Its height at 

 the Shoulders can to a certain extent be calculated from the 

 vertieal height of the larger piece of skin in the collection 

 from Cueva Eberhardt (conf. above). As this piece which is 

 not complete in any direction ineasures in dried state 76 cm., 

 its natural length (= in vertieal direction) with addition of 



