438 



ORDERS OF MAMMALIA. 



and in the fact that the outer sheath of the horn is deciduous, 

 and not permanent. For these reasons, it has been proposed 

 to place the Prong-buck in a separate family (the Aniilocaprida) ; 

 but it is more convenient here to consider it as an aberrant 

 member of the Antilopidce. 



Several species of Antelope have been described from the 

 Miocene and Pliocene deposits of Europe, but none of them 

 are of any special importance. Fossil Antelopes have also 

 been discovered in the bone-caves of Brazil, though no mem- 

 ber of this family is known at the present day as existing in 

 South America. By far the most remarkable fossils, however, 

 which have been generally referred to the Antilopidce, are those 

 on which the genera Sivatherium and Bramatherium have been 

 founded. 



Sivatherium (fig. 357) is known by the single species S. 

 giganteum, discovered by Dr Falconer and Sir Proby Cautley 

 in the Tertiary deposits of the Siwalik Hills in India. The 



Fig- 357- Skull of Sivatlierium giganteum. Pliocene, India. (After Murie.) 



most important peculiarity in Sivatherium is the structure of 

 the horns, of which the animal possessed two pairs. Both 

 pairs of horns were supported by bony " cores/' so that there 

 can be no hesitation in referring Sivatherium to the group of 



