MEGACEROS HIBERNICUS. 451 



the Megaceros and those of the large fossil Bovine quad- 

 rupeds. The differences may seem slight, but they are 

 constant and serve to distinguish the species : they deter- 

 mine, for example, the fossil fragment of the upper jaw 

 with the molar teeth from Kent's Hole, now in the British 

 Museum, which fragment has been reduced to its present 

 form by the teeth of the extinct Hyaena, to belong to the 

 Cervus megaceros, and thus establish the high antiquity of 

 that extinct species. 



The great proportional size of the cervical vertebra of 

 the Megaceros has been already noticed : the atlas appears 

 like a second occipital bone, but exceeds that cranial verte- 

 bra in breadth. The extraordinary development of the 

 muscular part of the neck is indicated by the massive pro- 

 cesses, especially of the five vertebrae which follow the 

 axis ; and the thick full neck, which is so characteristic a 

 feature in the Stag, must have been still more remarkable 

 in the living Megaceros. The cervical vertebras of the 

 female were one third smaller than in the male. The 

 dorsal vertebrae are thirteen in number, and the anterior 

 ones are remarkable for the length of the spinous processes 

 (fig. 182, d) which gave attachment to the elastic ligaments 

 supporting the head : those of the ~third, fourth, and fifth 

 dorsals rise to a foot in height. 



The six lumbar, the sacral, and the caudal vertebra?, 

 closely agree with those parts in the existing Deer. The 

 sternum consists of seven bones, including the xiphoid ; they 

 become broader and flatter to the sixth, which measures 

 five inches across. 



The bones of the extremities more resemble those of the 

 Rein-deer than the Elk, but are relatively stronger in pro- 

 portion to their length than in any existing species of 

 Cervus. In fig. 182, sc is the scapula or blade-bone ; A, 



G G 2 



