ELEPHAS. 41 



represented by E. namadicus ; in this species the skull is peculiar 

 from the development of a sort of overfolded ridge on its- 

 frontal portion,, forming an overhanging fold on the fore- 

 head (see Pier-case 34). In the changes that took place 

 in the distribution of land and water at the end of the 

 Pliocene and the beginning of the Pleistocene, portions of the 

 regions inhabited by Elephas antiquus and its varieties became 

 isolated as islands, and in these restricted habitats the species 

 became dwarfed, and the dwarf forms in the different islands 

 at the same time became specifically distinct from one another. 

 Instances of these small forms are Elephas melitensis, E. mnai- 

 driensis, E. Cypriotes, and E. creticus (Table-cases 17 A, 

 21, 21 A). E. melitensis and E. mnaidriensis are found 

 in Malta. Of the first-named species a small form, sometimes 

 called E. falconeri, did not stand more than about three 

 feet high at the shoulder. The ridge-formula of the molar 

 teeth is : M 1 g, M 2 , M 3 jgf. A large collection of 

 remains of these species, obtained by Admiral Spratt and 

 Professor Leith Adams, is shown in Table-cases 21 & 21 A. 

 E. mnaidriensis is also found in Sicily ; probably this species, 

 which is larger than E. melitensis , represents the intermediate 

 stage between it and E. antiquus. E. Cypriotes from Cyprus 

 and E. creticus from Crete were both discovered and described 

 by Miss D. M. A. Bate, who collected the specimens shown 

 in Table-case 17 A. 



Turning again to the main line, we find that Elephas hysu- 

 dricus probably passed into some such species as E. armeniacus 

 (Table-case 17), which in many respects is intermediate between 

 the Mammoth (E. primiyenius) (Pier-cases 30-32 ; Table-cases 

 17-19) and the living Indian Elephant (E. maximus). The 

 Mammoth seems to represent the highest pitch of evolution 

 attained in the Elephantidse, being in some respects in advance 

 even of the Indian Elephant. It is here that we meet 

 with the greatest number of ridges in the molars (fig. 29), the 

 formula being M 1 , M 3 JJlJt M 3 ^. These teeth 

 represent the culmination of the long series of changes above 

 described, all tending to increase the efficiency of the molars 



