500 FOSSIL ELK OF IRELAND, 



grows forward from the front of the beam, where the 

 principal palm begins to expand. This is called brow 

 antler by Cuvier, but it corresponds in situation rather 

 to the sur-antler, there being, properly speaking, no 

 brow antler attached to the root of the beam. The elk 

 has no posterior antler similar to that of the fossil ani- 

 mal, nor does its beam take a similar arched direction, 

 but runs more directly outwards. 



Cuvier remarks, that the palm of the fossil horn in- 

 creases in breadth as it extends outwardly, while that 

 of the elk is broadest next the beam. 



The palm of the elk's horn is directed more back- 

 wards, while the fossil one extends more in the lateral 

 direction. The antlers of the elk are shorter and more 

 numerous than those of the fossil animals. 



As the horns of the fossil animal exceed in size those 

 of the elk, so, on the contrary, does the skull of the latter 

 exceed in size that of the former ; the largest heads of 

 the fossil species not exceeding one foot nine inches in 

 length, while the head of the elk is frequently two feet. 

 The fossil head is broader in proportion; its length 

 being to its breadth as two to one ; in the elk they are 

 as three to one, according to Parkinson.* The breadth 

 of the skull between the roots of the horns is but four 

 inches in the fossil skulls ; in that of the elk in the So- 

 ciety's Museum it is 6^ inches. 



Cuvier thinks it probable that the females of the fossil 

 species had horns-f, an opinion to which I am very much 

 disposed to subscribe, from having observed that these 

 parts present differences in size and strength, which ap- 



* Organic Remains, vol. iii. f Ossemens Fossiles, torn. iv. 



