Additional Notes. 501 



The naturalists of France (ierlved great advantages vvlieu 

 Holland fell into tlic power of their countrymen, from tlie 

 opportunities which were afforded them of insj>ceting the 

 rich Museum of tlie Stadtholder. M. Cuvier's attention was 

 more particularly directed to two elephanis' heads^ which 

 having examined with some nicety, he found to exhibit cha- 

 racters that warrant their being considered as belonging to two 

 distinct species. One of them from Ceylon, he remarked dif- 

 fered from the other (which came from the Cape) in respect 

 not only to the general contour of the forehead, but to the 

 shape of the teeth, wb.ich last he was at length induced, like 

 Blumenbach and others, to constitute the distinguishing 

 characteristics of elephants in general, and extending his inqui- 

 ries to such as we know only by their fossil e.vuvi^e, he has 

 furnished us with the following specific descriptions, viz. 

 ** Eltpluis Capeiisis, fronte eonvcwa, lainellis molarium 



i'homboidalibus. 

 E. Indiais, fronte plano-concava^ lamdlis molarimn ar- 



cuaiis undatis. 

 E. Mammon tens, ma villa obtusion^ lamellis violarium 



iaiidilms rectis. 

 E, Amcricanus, 'molaribus ^mdti-cuspidibus, lamellis 



post Dciritionnn cjuadnlolyatis.'^ 

 C. CuviER has, since the publication of his Memoir, dis- 

 covered several new species of elephants, differing not only 

 from the fossil ones hitherto described, but from all living 

 animals with which we are acquainted. One of them is 

 found in Peru, and other countries, and comes nearest to the 

 elephant of the Ohio: Another has been discovered in the 

 strata of the black mountain, in the department of L'Herault: 

 A third is found at Comminge; and fragments of the fourth 

 abound in the vicinity of Paris. — Mem.de I' List. tom. ii. p. 22. 



The origin of th^sQ fossil bones, especially of some, found 

 in peculiar circumstances, has employed the ingenuity of many 

 eminent naturalists, and been made the subject of much 

 speculation in later years. On the supposition, which has 

 been adopted by a considerable number ot these inquirers, 

 that the account given in the sacred writings of tiie general 

 Ddiige is false, the question is, indeed, of difficult solution. 

 But, admitting the truth of that account, (and every moun- 

 tain and valley lifts up its voice to confirm it), the difficulty, in 

 a great measure, if not entirely, vanishes. Let us suppose 

 that the animals whose fossil ejtiaii^ are now found were 



