MACHAIRODUS. 177 



broad in proportion as those of Machairodus." No bones, 

 however, of any large Ruminant had ever been detected 

 so associated with the teeth of the Machairodus as to 

 countenance the supposition that they had formed the 

 defensive weapons of a large hornless extinct species allied 

 to the Musk-deer; whilst, on the other hand, the discovery 

 in Kent^s Hole of the external upper incisor (fig. 70), 

 having its sharp edges as strongly serrated as in the great 

 falciform canines, left little doubt that they appertained to 

 the same species, and afforded corresponding proof of its 

 carnivorous character. 



The real affinities of the problematical Machairodus have 

 at length been decided by M. Bravard's discovery of the 

 skull of his Fells megantereon, retaining the falciform canine 

 in situ, "armee encore de sa dent falciforme."* A re- 

 duced outline copy of the drawing of this interesting fossil, 

 transmitted by M. Bravard to M. de Blainville, is placed 

 at the head of the present section (fig. 68) : the original 

 had not been seen by the Parisian Professor ; but, from a 

 rapid inspection of a plaster model, the cranium seemed 

 to him to bear a great resemblance to that of the 

 Panther. 



The Comparative Anatomist is prepared the more readily 

 to accept this announcement, from the fact that the 

 modification of the lower jaw, upon which M. Bravard 

 had previously been led to found his new species of Felis 

 (F, megantereori), is precisely such as would best accord 

 with an unusually elongated form of canine : the modifi- 

 cation in question consists of a sudden and considerable 

 increase in the vertical diameter or depth of the symphy- 

 sial part of the lower jaw ; whilst a depression on the outer 

 side, between the canine and the first molar, indicates the 



* See De Blainville 's Osteographie, Felis, p. 140. 



N 



