THREE EXTINCT SPECIES OF ELEPHANT. 235 
The portion of the shaft of a femur (fig. 5) like the exoccipital, and probably belonging 
to the same animal, presents all the external characters of a very young bone. It is broken 
at either end at some distance from the epiphysial termination. The entire fragment 
measures 8-4 in length, and its least tr. d. is 2-15, and least circumference 5-9. In 
a young £. indicus in the British Museum, in which all the epiphyses are separate, and 
the ossification of the articular ends themselves very incomplete, the length of the 
shaft is 21”, the least tr. d. 2”-4, and the least circumference 6-7. In general form 
the two bones resemble each other very closely, except that in the Maltese fossil the 
posterior surface rises more into an angle than it does in the other, in which it is uni- 
formly rounded and even. The nutrient foramen in both is on the inner side, about 
the junction, as it may be estimated, of the upper and middle third, or a good way 
above the middle of the bone, whilst in the African species it is much lower down; and 
this I am inclined to believe will be found a constant and not unimportant character. At 
any rate, so far as it goes, it further tends to show a distinction between the Maltese 
and existing African species. 
Besides the above bones belonging to the largest of the three Maltese forms, there 
are numerous fragments of others, most of them apparently of an old animal or animals, 
and including portions of the cranium, pelvis, and of some of the larger long bones. All 
manifestly indicate a species of comparatively large size; but as they afford no special 
characters, I have not thought it necessary to enter into further details respecting them. 
§ IIT. Evepnas MEnirensis. 
Bones or fragments of bones belonging to the larger of the two dwarf species of 
Elephant to which I have assigned the name of /. melitensis constitute a very consi- 
derable part of the collection. ‘They are exceedingly numerous; but amongst them 
are very many much broken and scarcely recognizable portions of the cranium, with 
respect to some of which it is impossible to determine whether they belong to this or to 
the next species. But, as in their present condition these broken fragments offer no 
distinctive characters, their determination is not a matter of any great importance. 
The remaining fragments amply suffice at any rate to indicate the comparative bulk 
and many of the distinctive characters of 2. melitensis. 
Separating the mature from the immature bones, and excluding the teeth, there are 
about 18 fragments which it will be necessary to describe :— 
These are:—(1 & 2) portions of the right ascending ramus of the mandible; (3) the 
right half of the atlas; (4, 5, & 6) the 7th cervical, 7th dorsal, and 5rd lumbar ver- 
tebre ; (7) the neural spine of one of the anterior dorsal vertebre ; (8, 8*) the proximal 
end, including the head of the second rib on the right side, and a portion of the body 
of one of the larger ribs; (9) a portion of the left scapula; (10) the nearly entire head 
and part of the shaft of the right humerus; (11) a small fragment of the articular 
VOL. VI.—PART V. Jus 
