MEMOIR OF CAMPER. 73 



dentium molarium corona, rhombis distinct a ; o 

 which the only accurate translation is to be found in 

 an examination of the plates, or of specimens. 



The debris of the fossil elephants which are found, 

 whether near the surface, or at greater depths, ac- 

 cording to our author, appear to belong to two dis- 

 tinct species, if not genera ; and, judging from the 

 form of the cranium, and the minute structure o. 

 the molares, the one approximates to the Asiatic, 

 and the other to the African variety. The former 

 is the Elephas primogenius of Blumenbach the 

 mammoth of Russia; and the other is the gigantic 

 Hippopotamus of Buffon and Daubenton the false 

 elephant of Dr William Hunter, the mastodon of 

 America, which Camper, in 1775, contended was 

 most closely allied with the true elephant. 



His observations on the bones of the head are 

 also very interesting. " The cranium considered 

 externally, exhibits a larger volume than the brain 

 requires ; but this formation was necessary to aug- 

 ment the surface of the bone which is required for 

 the muscles. It was absolutely necessary that the 

 muscles of the lower jaw, those of the proboscis, and 

 of the neck, should be endowed with great power, 

 or in other words, should consist of many fibres, the 

 attachment of which requires a large surface ; and 

 moreover, they require to be inserted at a convenient 

 distance from the centre of motion of each of these 

 parts. A simple bony covering, similar to that 

 which envelopes the brain of carnivorous animals, 



