HiNToN — The Fossil Hare of the Ossiferous Fissures of Ightham. 255 



Tibia. 



I am unable to point out any difference between the tibia of L. variabilis 

 and that of L. europceus. In the Scotch form of the former species it has the 

 shaft proportionally a little more slender, but in Z. v. hihernicus and the 

 fossil Hare from Ightham the tibia has the stout proportions of L. europceus. 

 The great size of the fossil tibise is conspicuous. 



Metatarsals. 



Metatarsal II. — Of this bone I have nine examples from the Ightham 

 Fissures before me. In one or two I think I am able to see traces of the 

 small facette for the precuneiform described by Forsyth Major,' but it is not 

 very distinct in any. 



Metatarsal III. — Nine examples examined. 



Metatarsal IV. — Six examples examined. 



Metatarsal V. — Nine examples examined. 



These bones call for no further comment here. 



Nathusius- has described the differences which exist between the structure 

 of the limbs, and particularly of the fore-limb, of the Hare {L. euroj^wus) 

 and those of the Eabbit Caprolagns [Oryctolagus) cuniculus. Forsyth Major' 

 has more recently considered this subject from a far wider standpoint, 

 and has conclusively shown that the fore-limb of the Hare has been 

 specialized for fleetness, and that that of the Eabbit remains, as regards the 

 autebrachium, practically in the primitive condition, instead of having been 

 modified to meet the requirements of a presumed fossorial existence, as 

 Nathusius supposed. And he further shows that of the Babbits only one, 

 viz. C. hispidus, possesses a limb-skeleton which betrays any trace of a 

 fossorial specialization. 



' FoKSYTH Majok, " Eecent and Fossil Lagomorpha," Trans. Linn. Soe., Ser. 2, Zool., vol. vii., 

 p. 505. 



^ Nathusius, "XJeber die sogenannten Leporiden," 1876, p. 31. 



^ Forsyth Majok, " Fossil and Recent Lagomorpha," Trans. Linn. Soc, Ser. 2, Zool., vol. vii., 

 pp. 487-493. 



