385 



size of a common cow or of a small horse, he considered as being of a 

 different species, and named it Palteotherium magnum. 



He found also several fragments, which enabled him to determine that 

 these quarries contained also the remains of another animal of this genus, 

 but which could not be larger than a fox, to which he gave the name of 

 Pal&otherium minus. 



It appears, therefore, that he discovered, and decidedly made out, four 

 species of this genus : P. magnum, P. medium, P. crassum, and P. minus. 



Proceeding in his inquiries, M. Cuvier obtained a very interesting 

 specimen from the gypsum quarries, containing two bones of the meta- 

 carpus (those of the index and medius) nearly entire ; an impression of 

 that of the next, annulare; and four bones of the carpus, semilunare, unci- 

 forme, the analogue of os magnum, here very small, and trapezoide. 



At first sight these bones appeared, in their general arrangement, as 

 well as in their particular configuration, very much to resemble their 

 analogues in the tapir. By the acuteness, however, of M. Cuvier, suffi- 

 cient differences were discovered in their forms, to determine that they 

 did not belong to that animal. He discovered that, in those few points 

 in which they differed from the analogous bones of the tapir, they seemed 

 to resemble those of the rhinoceros. On considering that the teeth of 

 the pal&otherium, in like manner, seemed to partake of the nature of each 

 of those animals, but to approach nearest to that of the former, M. Cu- 

 vier observes " One must be stricken with increased admiration at the 

 unalterable constancy in the natural agreements of animals, even in the 

 minutest details." From this correspondence he was able to determine 

 that these remains must have belonged to some animal of the genus 

 palaotherium ; and, from their size and proportions, to that species to 

 which the designation medium appeared to belong. In another specimen 

 he found some metacarpal remains, which, on account of their shortness 

 and thickness, he had no doubt of their belonging to that species which 

 he had named P. crassum. 



VOL. III. 3 D 



