437 



long and flat bones, which articulate with the anterior edge of the pubis, 

 and serve to support the edges of the pouch. M. Cuvier therefore dis- 

 sected the stone with a point of a needle, and was thereby enabled to 

 prove the existence of these supernumerary or marsupial bones in the 

 fossil, and to determine that they agreed with the analogous bones in the 

 tongue. 



The tapir is the only known American animal hitherto found fossil in 

 Europe, M. Cuvier was anxious, therefore, to determine whether the 

 sarigue might or not be considered as the second : believing that, of the 

 genera of animals belonging to Austral Asia, none had been discovered 

 fossil in Europe. 



The sarigues, properly so called, with a scaly prehensile tail, ten in- 

 cisors above, eight below, and large canine teeth, with the great toes of 

 the hind feet detached and without a claw, are the animals of this genus 

 which M. Cuvier considers as the American marsupial animals; and 

 whilst Austral Asia produces all the rest of these animals, these, the sa- 

 rigues, are produced in America alone. His task he considered, there- 

 fore, as only half performed, until he could determine whether these 

 remains belonged to a sarigue or a dasyure. 



He found that the dasyure has four toes nearly equal, the large one 

 being so short that the skin almost hides it, it appearing only like a tuber- 

 cle ; but in the sarigue this toe is long and well marked, the other toes 

 being unequal ; the little toe, and particularly its metacarpal bone, being 

 shorter than the others. By carefully exploring the stone, he found the 

 fourth and fifth metatarsal bones, and ascertained that the fifth, or that 

 of the little toe, was a third shorter than that of the next toe, precisely 

 as in the sarigue. Thus the question was fully decided, and it was proved, 

 that there exists in the quarries of plaster-stone the bones of an animal, the genus 

 to which it belongs being at present proper to America. 



The eager inquiries of this illustrious naturalist did not rest here : he 

 next endeavoured to discover if these remains agreed with any living 



