864 
toes are moreover moulded to the shape of the 
horny roof which covers them, a circumstanee 
in which they differ remarkably from the larger 
genera. 
Pelvis.—The pelves of the larger genera are 
of enormous size, accommodating themselves 
in this respect partly to the prodigious masses 
of muscle to which they give origin, and partly 
to the monstrous capacity of the abdominal 
cavity. In the Elephant and Rhinoceros the 
ossa ilii are ve broad, rounded anteriorly and 
concave towards the abdomen. In the Tapir, 
the ilium has somewhat the form of the letter 
T, one branch being articulated with the ster- 
num, while the neck of the bone forms the 
handle. The pelvis of the Hog very nearly 
approximates in shape that of carnivorous 
quadrupeds. 
Femur.—The femur of the Elephant ( fig.464) 
is remarkable for the simplicity of its shape, 
which has some resemblance to that of the human 
skeleton, owing to its general smoothness and 
the absence of those strong crests and ridges 
which characterise it in most other gigantic 
pc s. In all other tribes of the Pachy- 
erms these bones are short, straight, and flat- 
tened in the middle, presenting upon the outer 
border a wide and prominent ridge terminating 
inferiorly in a hook-like process, which, as 
well as the trochanter major, is in the case of 
the Rhinoceros excessively prolonged. 
Tarsus.—The bones of the tarsus are simi- 
lar both in number and arrangement to those of 
the human skeleton. The astragalus is of 
great size, and all its articulating surfaces very 
extensive so as to afford a wide basis of sup- 
port. The calcaneum is likewise remarkably 
prominent and massive. 
Metatarsus.—The metatarsus is in the Ele- 
a made up of five distinct bones, of which, 
owever, the external one is but imperfectly 
developed. In all the other Pachydermatous 
genera there are only four metatarsal bones 
corresponding with the number of the toes. 
Of these the two central ones are far the largest, 
4a ar ai 
ts Vee ell ~ 
ss 
PACHYDERMATA. 
Skeleton of Rhinoceros. 
and sustain alone the entire weight of the hin» 
der part of the body, seeing that the most ex~ 
ternal and most internal toe of each foot scareely 
reaches the ground ; and at length in the Suide 
the metatarsal bones of these toes become re- 
duced to mere rudiments appended to the sid 
of the foot, and serve less as organs of support 
than as appendages given to prevent the crea- 
tures so organized from sinking into the marshy 
soils or soft mud, which they mostly frequent 
as though to testify the intermediate position 
which they occupy between the aquatic 
terrestrial Mammalia. 
Phalanges.—The namber of toes upon the 
hind foot of the Elephant is five, each of them, 
with the exception of the outer one, consisting ¢ 
three short and massive phalanges ; but the ex. 
ternal toe is represented by a single massive 
and irregular-shaped piece. In the living ar 
mal all these bones are so encased in the thick 
skin covering the sole, that the division of the 
foot is only indicated by the prominent extre: 
mities of the toes. rf 
The skeleton of the Elephant is, indee¢ 
quite peculiar in form, so that there is not ; 
single bone or extremity of a bone which ma 
not easily be distinguished from that of an 
other animal ; and it may likewise be remark 
that many of the bones of the Elephant mo 
nearly resemble those of the human ' 
than the analogous ones of any other quadr 
ped, especially of the larger inhabitants of t 
part of the world, such as oxen or horses. , 
examples of this, may be pointed out the atl 
all the cervical vertebra, and the bodies of | 
dorsal vertebre ; the scapula and pelvis o 
count of their great breadth, the femur from 
length and the simplicity of its shape, 1 
astragalus, the os cahels; and all the bone 
the metacarpus and metatarsus. It is, the 
fore, scarcely to be wondered at that even ] 
fessed anatomists, who had never examined 
skeleton of the Elephant, have sometimes m 
ken the bones of this animal for the fossil 
of human beings, and consequently of 
ENT 
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(6 aaa 
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