THE FARMERS- REGISTER. 



655 



ol a bony eubstance interwoven with cells, and ^ 

 presents a broad, Hat appearance : it projects 13 ' 

 inches over the lower jaw, and ends in two' 

 nostrils, which are somewhat raised on the lace. 

 Tliis nose rests partly on the root ol the niouih 

 and partly on tlic upper lip, which hitter is gonie- 

 what arched on both sides, and Ibrms a ridge in 

 the centre. j 



"As 1 was successful in finding the lighi tusk 

 solid in the head when 1 hrst dis^•ov•ert•d it, and | 

 as it remained fixed in its socket during its exca- I 

 vatioTi and transportation over a very rough and ! 

 wilderness country, I am enabled lo give a correct j 

 and indisputable description ol the posiiion and 1 

 situation which the tusks occupied in the skull 

 of the animal during iis lilie. They were carried 

 by him almost horizontally, bending somewhai 

 down, and coming wiih their points up again ; 

 their length is 10 leei, exclusive ol' 1 loot 3 inches 

 which lorms the root, and is hidden from the eye 

 of the observer, as ii is concealed in and under 

 the skull. It is necessary here to remark, that 

 the tusks are remarkably large in proportion to 

 the size ol the head, and also that their roois are 

 perlectly firm and solid, so as to leave only space 

 lor the nerve. TUe body ol' those tusks has Iteen 

 a Ibrmalion ol' coarse ivory, partaking somewhai 

 of the nature o( bune — so much so, that it will 

 again unite and become whole alter an irijury ; 

 which is proved by the fact ol' ihe right tusk hav- 

 ing a large scar, where it had been severely in- 

 jured. As soon aslhi^Jusks leave ihe interior of 

 the head, which takes place opposite the chin, 

 they run parallel on each side of the nose, sinking 

 down to the edge of the upper lip, until they 

 reach the outer edge of it; (rom thence they 

 make a sudden bend and run Irom both sides In a 

 horizontal position, each Ibrming somewhat of a 

 semicircle. Measuring those tusks from the point 

 ol" the one to the point of the other, following the 

 curvature, is 21 I'eet ; the distance across the 

 head in a straight lice, from point lo point of the 

 tusks, is 15 li'et. 



" Especially remarkable on the lower jaw is a 

 protuberance ; which is immediately situated over 

 xbe posterior mental foramen, from whence it pro- 

 ceeds out of the ramus in a horizontal position ; 

 its point is somewhai bent down, inclining back ; 

 its length is 2| inches ; its diameter at the root 

 is 1^ inches. I consiiler this protuberance pecu- 

 liar 10 the Missourium, as 1 have never seen a 

 similar one on any of the great number and va- 

 riety of fossils 1 have disinterred or examined, or 

 of animals of the present race, and as yet I have 

 never heard it mentioned by other naturalists. 

 Another peculiarity of this protuberance is, thai 

 it possesses points resembling thorns. I am ofopi- 

 nion that the above described protuberance was 

 Ihe location of some remarkably strong muscles 

 attached to the lower lip, that gave it in a great 

 measure the strength and faculty of a proboscis. 

 This wise provision of nature has been necessary 

 to the animal, aa the upper part of the head is 

 destitute of this appendage, or, at most, has had 

 a snout not larger than thai of the South Ameri- 

 can tapir. The whole length of this, the lower 

 jaw, is 3 feet 1 inch ; the greatest height to the 

 condyle, 1 loot 7 inches ; the extreme height lo 

 the coronoidal process, 1 foot 5| inches ; the 

 height of the ramus, 7^ inches; the iengih of 

 the posterior molar, 7 inches ; its breadth, 4^ 



inches ; the length of the second molar, 5^ 

 inches; its breadth. 4 inches. 



" Measurement of the different bones contained 

 in the skeleton. — Each clavicle, 2 leei .^ inch ; and 

 7\ inches in its extreme breadih. 'I lie first rib, 

 2 leet 3 inches in length ; G inches in its widest 

 [)arl ; the longest rib measures 5 leet 6^ inches 

 in length ; the ehoriest rib, 2 leet 4 mehes in 

 length ; the large si of the dorsal vertebia;, 2^ fieel ; 

 the scapula, or shouKler blade, 3 leet 1 inch in 

 length, and 2 leet 7 inches in breadih; the hu- 

 merus or lore arm, length 3 feel 5,^ inches; iia 

 greatest circumleience 3 :eet 3 inches, and its 

 smallesi part measures 2 leet 7 inches i[i circum- 

 lerence ; ihe ulna is 2 leet 7^ inches long; the 

 rudiiis is 2 leei 3i^ inches long ; ilie carpal articu- 

 lating surl'ace is 5^ inches broad ; other articulat- 

 ing surface, G^ mclies. The pelvis measures Irom 

 ihe anterior superior spine to the edge of the pu- 

 bis, ai the sym|)li)sis, 3 leei 7 inches, which givea 

 a toial breadtli of the pelvis ol 7 leet 2 inches; 

 the circumlerence of each bone of the pelvis is 13 

 leet 4 inches. 



" The lemur, or thigh bone, is 4 leet ^ inch long, 

 S| inches in diameter; m the middie of its shall 

 ihe neck of the thigh bone is 7;'^ inches in diame- 

 ter; ihe head of this is 8^ inches in diameter. 

 The transverse diameter oi ihe ariiculating sur- 

 faces or condyles of the lemur, i^ 10 inches; that 

 is, each condyle measures 5 inches. 



" 77ie tibia and fibula, or leg bones. — The tibia 

 is 2 Itjet 4i| inches long ; 11 inches broad at its 

 superior portion, and 8 inches at the inferior part ; 

 its diameter in the middle of the shaft is 6^ 

 inciies. The fibula — the whole length of this 

 bone is 2 feel 6^ inches. 



'• There is a process connecting the tail with the 

 03 sacrum, which is 1 foot 8 inches in Iengih; 

 ihe said process is composed of six joints, which 

 are inseparably joined together. Each of these 

 joints is 3^ inches in Iengih ; the one adjoining 

 ihe OS sacrum is 7^ inches in breadth, but the 

 remaining five joints of the process are rather 

 narrower. The tail is composed of thirteen 

 vertebrae, and is very short in proportion to the 

 body of the animal, its whole length measuring 

 only 2 feet 7^ inches, but has been very broad 

 and fiat, and possessed of great strength. 



" Tlie lore-loot has lour toes and a thumb ; the 

 longest toe measures 1 foot 8 inches ; ihe shortest, 

 1 loot: the thumb, 7 inches. Each toe is pos- 

 sesped of four joints, and the thumb of two. The 

 smallest and last of the joints of each toe, shows 

 plainly that it was armed with a nail ; the nails 

 of the right loot turned out towards the right, 

 while those of the lel'i were reversed, and turned 

 towards the left. The hind-loot is much smaller 

 than the /ore-foot ; it has also lour toes, but is 

 destitute of the thumb. Its longest toe measures 

 1 loot 2 inches ; its shortest, 9.} inches. Both the 

 lore and hind-leet have been webbed. 



'^ Peculiarities nf the bones. — All the bones, with- 

 out exception, are firm, and contain no marrow ; 

 I believe the marrow was superseded by an oily 

 fluid, which circulated through the bones. 



" All the vertebrae are remarkably narrow, and 

 must have given the animal a superior degree of 

 action in the back ; this is more particularly ob- 

 servable in the vertebra? of the neck, which gives 

 it the appearance of being very short. The two 

 posterior vertebrui adjoining the oe eacrum are 



