300 GEOLOGY. 



tend beyond the cellular portion to the inner plate or 

 table, and so the monster's brain would be safe, suffering 

 only a concussion, from which it would speedily recover. 

 The evidences of such a fracture Professor Owen found 

 in one skull, and they were such as to show that the 

 fracture was healed, and that therefore the animal sur- 

 vived the accident. 



410. Megatherium. This animal was another of those 

 Post-tertiary South American sloths. Its name, derived 

 from two Greek words, megas, great, and thera, wild 

 beast, indicates its enormous bulk. The skeleton of one 

 of the dozen species of this genus is represented in Fig. 

 176. The length of this animal was about twelve feet, 



and its height was eight. It was exceedingly massive, 

 its thigh bone being twice as thick as that of the ele- 

 phant, and the other bones are in like proportion. The 

 width of the tail at its upper part was two feet. Its 

 fore foot was more than three feet long, and one foot in 

 width, and the toes were armed with enormous claws. 

 It lived upon leaves and twigs, which it gathered as the 



