114 GUIDE TO THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



In the Central Hall, placed on separate pedestals are casts of 

 the skulls of extinct Indian Elephants. The following are 

 represented : — Elephas planifrons, Falc, U. hysudricus, and E. 

 hombi/rons, from the Pliocene beds of the Siwalik Hills, E. 

 nainadicus, found in the Pliocene deposits of Nerbudda, and 

 Mastodon ohioticus from the Post-Tertiary beds of North 

 America. To these there has lately been added a tine cast of 

 the cranium and tusks of another extinct Indian Elephant — 

 Elepluis c/anesa, Falc. andCautl., taken from the original specimen 

 in the Department of Geology, British Museum, London. Near 

 thiii is a reproduction of the cranium, mandible, and tusks of the 

 Elephas antiqitus, Falc, from the Pleistocene deposits of Belgium. 

 The original of this is in the Royal Museum of Natural History 

 of Belf'ium, at Brussels. Lastly, this series of casts is concluded 

 by that of the Mastodon humbokUi, Cuvier, from the Pampas 

 Formation (Pleistocene) of Buenos Ay res, Argentine Republic, also 

 taken from the original in the British Museum. 



In close contiguity to these is the representation of the skull of 

 one of the Giraffidce, called Sivatherium, also from the Siwalik 

 Hills. " It possessed two pairs of horns on its head, two short 

 and simple in front, and two larger palmated ones behind them. 

 From the persistent character of these bony horn-cores we may 

 certainly regard this animal as a gigantic four-horned ruminant, 

 ha^'ing a resemblance in some structural characters to the Giraffe, 

 in others to the Antelope." 



On the large central table will be found a representation of 

 the skull and mandible of an extinct mammal called Toxodon 

 platensis, from the Newer Tertiary deposits or Pampas Forma- 

 tion of South America. It was probably larger than a horse, 

 but possessed incisor teeth resembling those of the Rodents. 



Again, on the large table is a specimen of the Meyatheriuin 

 americanum, or Gigantic Sloth, of South America, a cast 

 taken from the actual remains in the British Museum. " This 

 coUossal animal measures 18 feet in length, its bones being 

 more massive than those of the Elephant. The thigh bone is 

 nearly thrice the thickness of the same bone in the largest of 

 existing Elephants, the circumference being equal to the entire 



