THE MALTESE FOSSIL ELEPHANTS. 109 
The permanent tusks represent the contour of the recent species; and evidently they 
were present in both sexes. The usual sculpturings of the ivory are very pronounced ; 
the specimens moreover indicate the presence of an Elephant somewhat under the 
ordinary size, with much variety, down even to what must have been a very small form 
or species’. ‘This is proven clearly by specimens that cannot be considered tusks of 
young elephants. 
There are indications in one upper jaw of the first and second milk-teeth”, besides the 
third, which is in use, and the last or fourth in germ behind it* At all events the 
second milk-tooth in one or more of the Maltese elephants differed from that of any 
known species, in having one erect instead of two, divergent fangs‘. The specimens 
contained in my collection, and in that of Admiral Spratt, do not differ individually in 
any remarkable extent as regards size; and, apparently, all held the same number of 
ridges, although in one instance of an upper molar there are distinctly only four instead 
of five’. All, as compared with other species, are very diminutive, and clearly point 
to their owners having been small elephants. 
The molars I have referred to the third or penultimate milk-stage can be arranged 
in a very gradual progression as to dimensions, 7. e. froma very small tooth to one nearly 
equal to an unusually small-sized third milk-molar of the African Elephant®. The 
smaller molars hold five plates and two talons; whilst the intermediate and the largest 
have six plates and two talons. The talons, however, are very feebly indicated on 
certain specimens of the intermediate teeth’, so as to make it not easy to say whether 
these molars should be included with the smallest or largest. 
The crown-patterns differ very little in teeth in the same stages of wear; and there 
is very little of importance in regard to the crown constituents of a specific character, 
excepting that the largest molars are readily distinguished by the relative thickness of 
their plates and rugosities of the digitations, especially on the posterior ridges °. 
It appears, therefore, that the evidences deducible from the penultimate milk-molars 
indicate the presence of two forms differing very much in size, and to a smaller extent 
in one or two characters; and their ridge-formule are not the same. 
The data I have brought together, with reference to the last milk- and first true molar, 
I freely admit may be subject to different inferences than those here drawn. In all 
species of the genus there are great difficulties under this head—and on the present 
occasion in particular, where there are evidently two or more forms of Elephant to be 
worked out ; indeed I find it almost impossible to reconcile all the varieties of molars 
1 Pl. XI. figs. 11-20, and Trans. Zool. Soc. vi. pl. 52. figs. 46 & 48. 
2 J allude to the pre and ante penultimate milk-molars. SP Sis fie-ele 
* Pl. I. fig. 6, and Trans. Zool. Soe. vi. pl. 53. fig. 2. 5 Pl. I. fig. 3. 
* Compare Pl. I. fig. 8 with fig. 14. 
7 Pl. I. fig. 15a. A ridge more or less is common in the penultimate milk-molar of other extinct species— 
to wit, Z, primigenius and antiguus. * Compare Pl. I. fig. 14 with Pl. IIT. figs. 46 & 5a. 
