DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA. 33 



ness than in any of the existing canine race. It appears less ovoid than in the latter. 

 From the parietal convexity it narrows more rapidly forward to a position opposite 

 the commencement of the forehead, where it is even more constricted than in the 

 Red Fox. It is divided by the remains of a long, strong and high sagittal crest, as 

 in the European Badger, Meles taxm. This crest bifurcates far forward, as in the 

 latter, the division being comparatively acute, and the forehead apparently has been 

 proportionately narrow. 



The zygomatic arch is of much greater strength and capacity than in recent 

 Wolves of much larger size. It starts rather less abruptly outward than in the latter 

 animals, being slightly directed forward even from its commencement. 



The glenoid cavity is proportionately larger than in the Wolves, and is much more 

 concave, this difference being mainly due to the production downward of the anterior 

 border, as in many other carnivorous animals. The post-glenoidal tubercle is 

 broader, and stronger than in the Wolves. 



The occipital condyles and foramen have nearly the same form and size as in the 

 Prairie Wolf. 



The tympanic bulla appears to have been remarkably small, and was not at all 

 prolonged outwardly in an auditory process, as in the Wolves, On one side of the 

 specimen it is destroyed, but on the other side appears to be entire except internally, 

 where it is open, perhaps is broken, and is filled with the matrix of the fossil. In 

 its present condition, the tympanic bulla appears as a comparatively narrow arch, 

 concave internally, with its posterior abutment joining the post-auditory process of 

 the squamosal, and its anterior abutment resting on the fore and under part of the 

 petrosal, extending inward to the Eustachian foramen. 



Behind and internal to the back half of the auditory bulla, there is a remarkably 

 large reniform fossa. At first it appeared to me as if this fossa had been enclosed 

 with an auditory bulla, and what I have described as the latter was a peculiarly 

 modified auditory process. The fossa is partly formed by a deep excavation of the 

 basi-occipital ; and at its bottom may be seen a portion of the petrosal. The outer 

 extremity is bounded by the mastoid and paramastoid processes. It probably 

 accommodated a dilatation at the commencement of the jugular vein. 



The paramastoid pi'ocess is a conical pointed appendage, widely separated from 

 the auditory bulla by the intervening mastoid process and the outer extremity of the 

 jugular fossa. 



In consequence of the small size of the auditory bullse, the intervening space appears 

 of greater breadth than in the ordinary Canidce, but independently of this modifica- 

 tion, and the existence of the large jugular fossas, the basi-occipital and sphenoids, 

 the space at the roots of the pterygoids, and the anterior condyloid, Eustachian and 

 oval foramina present very nearly the same condition as in the Wolf 



5 



