282 PROF. HUXLEY ON THE CRANIAL AND [Apr. 6, 



Table XXI. — Cranial and Dental Measurements q/ Cynodictis 



and Canis. 



I. II. III. IV. V. 



Length of palate 42 48 79 72 



Breadth „ 29 29 39 41 



Length of ^^d 8 7 13 12-5 14 



Breadth „ 5 5-5 9 6 10 



Length of ?^ 6 7 ... 9-3 11 



Breadth 7-5 8 ... II 15 



Lengthof^ 4 5 6-5 6 8 



Breadth , 6-5 0-5 9 7 9-5 



Length of 7 9-5 ... 14-5 13-5 



m. 1 



4 6-5 ... 7-5 



m. 2 



-^ 3 3 ... 4 



m. 3 



[No. I. Cynodictis leptorhynehus ; No. II. Canis vetulus ; No. III. Cymdictis 

 ffi-yd; 'No.lV. Canis azara ; No. V. Cynodictis horiei. The measurements arc 

 partly given by M. Filhol and partly taken from his figures.] 



The skull of Cynodictis horiei is as large as that of an ordinary 

 European Wolf, so that the microdont character is very striking, 

 while the great thickness of the upper sectorial and the large size of 

 the upper molar brings this form still nearer to C. vetulus than to 

 C. azarce. 



Taking all the facts of the case into consideration, I am disposed 

 not only to agree with the conclusion to which M. Filhol' s remarks 

 tend, that Cynodictis lies in the direct line of ancestry of the 

 Canidae, hut to suppose that, in skull and teeth, it represents pretty 

 closely the stock from which the branch of the Viverridte has 

 diverged, subsequently to give rise to the Felidse and Hyaenidse. 



On the other hand, as M. Filhol points out, certain forms of Cynodic- 

 tis closely approach Amphicyon, a genus in which ^^, usually aborted 

 in all the existing Thooid and Alopecoid Canidse, is present, though 

 much smaller than '^^ and evidently in course of suppression. In 

 other respects, as in the shortness of — — ^ relatively to '-^^, the large 

 size of — relatively to '-^^, and of ^^ relatively to ^^^, the dentition 

 of Amphicyon repeats the general characters of that of Cynodictis. 



None of the varieties of Cynodictis or of Amphicyon exhibits a 

 distinctly lobate form of mandible ; nor, so far as I am aware, has 

 any specimen of the latter genus been discovered with more than 

 three molars above and below. Hence, if I am right in supposing 

 that in the dentition of Otocyon we have a representation of the 



