374 BUREAU OF AMEEICAN ETHNOLOGY [bill. 52 



other Carnivora, as well as in a cebus, but in none of the other Primates 

 compared. 



The form of the minor trochanter is that of a stout, dull, slightly 

 intercepted ridge and not that of an isolated tuberosity, as in man and 

 in all the Primates that were examined. In tliis respect it differs, even 

 though to a less extent, from the modern and most of the ancient 

 Carnivora whose femora were used for comparison. The lower 

 part of the minor trochanter ridge extends downward and out- 

 ward to the middle of the posterior surface of the bone, where it 

 fades out. There is no trace of the posterior part of the spiral line, 

 which is usually well-marked in the primates as well as in modern 

 and in most fossil Carnivora, but it may be represented by the pro- 

 longation downward of the minor trochanter ridge just described. 



The most striking peculiarity of this upper part of the posterior 

 surface of the bone, however, consists in the presence of a well- 

 defined, elevated semicircular crest (pi. 65), curving from the lower 

 part of the minor trochanter downward, outward, and then upward 

 to the upper portion of the rear part of the great trochanter, con- 

 necting with the lateral boundary of the groove which leads to the 

 trochanteric fossa. This line forms the lower boundary of a sur- 

 face which approximates circular form, is moderately concave from 

 side to side and occupies fully the space between the trochanters. 

 All these are features which find absolutely no analogy in and can 

 have no generic relation to man or any of the Primates. They imply 

 differing or at least much more developed muscle (quadratus femoris ?) 

 and differing function. But they occur in the Carnivora. The 

 semicircular crest is represented typically in the ocelot and in less 

 regular forms in the cinnamon bear, striped hyena, jaguar, gray 

 wolf, Canis mexicanus, and the old California dog. It is also found, 

 as will be shown later, in some of the fossil Carnivora. This char- 

 acter alone suffices to take the Monte Hermoso femur definitely out 

 of the primate range. 



The lower extremity of the TetraproiTiomo bone is morphologically 

 even farther removed than the upper, if possible, from the corre- 

 sponding part of human and even ape femora. It is that of an 

 ancient cat or a related carnivore and not that of a primate. (Pis. 

 66-68.) 



It presents a high and narrow trochlea, narrow, high and deep 

 condyles, and narrow, deep intercondylic notch. The separation 

 inferiorly of the troclilea and the condyles is much more distinct than 

 in man or any of the apes. The axis of the troclilea is more nearly 

 vertical than in man or other Primates. The lateral ridges binding the 

 trochlea are much more elevated and better defined than in any human 

 femora or those of anthropoid apes, and they are much more nearly 

 parallel than the lateral trochlear boundaries in man and most apes. 

 The lateral ridge is higher, a trace less sharp, and extends farther up 



