532 Dr. C. I. Forsyth Major on the 
ternal cingulum cusps” of Talpa &c., and the inner talon of 
Chrysochloris—he is not acquainted with the Centetid genera 
in which this is likewise distinctly preserved—with the 
“ nrotocone’”’ of Yalpa. He regards the main cusp of the 
tooth of Centetes as homologous with the “ paracone” of 
Talpa, wherein he agrees with Winge. He, however, 
proceeds to say:—“I do not think that the ontogeny of 
the trituberculate insectivore molar justifies Mivart’s fusion 
theory, but rather suggests that this tooth corresponds only 
with the paracone triangle of the Mole’s tooth.” In other 
words, Woodward on the whole favours the tritubercular 
theory; this merely because the ‘ paracone”—5 in his 
figures on pl. xxvi.—being ontogenetically the first molar-cusp 
to appear, he infers from this circumstance that it is the 
primitive cusp in a phylogenetic sense as well. He asserts, 
but does not demonstrate, “‘ that as regards the primary cone, 
its ontogeny recapitulates its phylogeny.” 
That it is not merely the anterior “ trigon”’ of more com- 
plicated teeth (Zalpa &c.) with which the upper molar of the 
Centetidee and Chrysochloride is homologous, is at once 
evident from the fact that the sides of the unique trigon in 
the latter families embrace not only the anterior but also the 
posterior half of the outer “ cingulum-cusps.” 
The above-mentioned text-figure in the paper on Megala- 
dapis was given by me in conjunction with four others, as 
representatives of four families of Malagasy mammals 
(belonging to three different Orders) with so-called trituber- 
cular molars. My object was to show (1) that, asa rule, on 
close examination the tritubercular teeth are nevertheless 
found to consist of more components than only three cusps; 
(2) that the fact that “ trituberculy ” occurs in different orders 
is in itself sufficient to point to convergence, and the more so 
since the genera in question are highly specialized in other 
respects also; (3) that the three main cusps of the teeth with 
which we are dealing have dzfferent homologies in each of the 
three orders (Lemuroidea, Carnivora, Insectivora) —a further 
support for the assumption that convergence has taken place. 
This circumstance has escaped Woodward’s attention, or he 
would hardly consider that his interpretation of the molars 
of Centetes and Chrysochloris brings them into complete 
agreement with the molars of mammals in general. 
So much for the more historical part of our subject. 
That the complicated mammalian molars will ultimately 
be traceable to a simple form I have never denied, and have 
even expressly stated as much; but how far back we shall 
have to go to find this simple condition the future will show. 
