ALLIES OF THE GIRAFFE. 



337 



skull of the samothere (about \ nat. size). 



without an unossified space in front of the eye. An allied animal, known as the 

 libythere, has left its remains in the Pliocene strata of Algeria. 



In the samothere 

 of the Isle of Samos 

 and Persia, of which 

 the skull is shown in 

 the accompanying 

 woodcut, the fore and 

 hind-limbs are of nearly 

 equal length, and the 

 forehead, owing to the 

 absence of cells, is 

 nearly flat, while there 

 is no unossified space 

 in front of the eye. 

 The eyes were sur- 

 mounted by a pair of flattened bony processes, which there is some reason to believe 

 were detached from the bones of the forehead in the young state, and which may 

 have been clothed either with skin or with horny sheaths in the living condition. 

 In many respects the skull of this animal approximates to that of the elk. 



By far the largest of all Ruminants was the gigantic Indian sivathere, whose 

 skull and limb-bones rival 

 in magnitude those of 

 the biggest rhinoceroses. 

 The skull of this 

 enormous creature was 

 very short and wide, and, 

 in the male at any rate, 

 carried a pair of large 

 antler -like appendages, 

 situated immediately over 

 the occiput, in addition 

 to which there was a 

 pair of simple spike-like 

 horns above the eyes. 

 Although the branched 

 appendages of the skull 

 recall the antlers of the 



elk, it is evident that they were never shed : and it is, therefore, probable that 

 they were covered during life either with hairy skin or with horn. In any case, 

 they were to a considerable extent intermediate in their nature between the horns 

 of the oxen and the antlers of the deer. Other kindred types were the hydaspi- 

 there and the bramathere of India, in both of which the appendages of the skull 

 take origin from an elevated common base rising above the forehead. In the 

 former of these animals there was a large unossified space in front of the eye, 

 .similar to that occurring in the giraffe and the deer. 



VOL. II. 2 2 



skull of THE -ivathere (about \ nat. size). 



