272 ■ MR. BUSK ON THE EEMAIKS OF 



Capt. Spvatt's collection, as to the presence in it of the remains of three distinct species 

 of Elcpliant, I will proceed to inquire what confirmation of the plurality of species is 

 ^dded from the study of the remams of the very young (or, perhaps, in some cases, of 

 absolutely foetal) animals. 



The number of these immature bones is very remarkable ; and many (although neces- 

 sarily of very fragile texture) are in excellent preservation, though the majority are more 

 or less worn or otherwise injured. 



In noticing the largest species of the Maltese Elephants, I have already described a 

 very young exoccipital bone (figs. 3 & 4), and a portion of the shaft of a femur, 

 obviously that of a very young animal, and which may have belonged to the same indi- 

 vidual. Besides these juvenile remains of the large Elephant, there are several other 

 fragments apparently referrible to the same species, though of much younger age. As 

 the mere size of these specimens is sufficient to distinguish them from the remains of 

 either of the dwarf species, it will be unnecessary perhaps to enter into further par- 

 ticulars concerning them, beyond what have already been given. 



With respect to the immature bones of the two smaller Elephants, however, it will 

 be requisite to go into some detail, in order to point out what I conceive to be dis- 

 tinctive specific characters in them, although I do not pretend at present to be able to 

 assign the different forms to the respective species with any approach to certainty. 



1. Bones of the Cranium and Face. 

 Of the cranial bones the only ones sufficiently perfect to be of much use in the 

 inquiry are three or four exoccipitals, two of which are represented in PI. LII. figs. 42', 

 42' a, and 44, 44 a. These two bones are of the same size, and, to all appearance, of 

 exactly the same age. Each is also broken precisely to tlie same extent, having lost 

 the posterior angle, including the whole of the thickened border which joins the supra- 

 occipital *. In all other respects the bones are entire and but very little worn, especially 

 that shown in fig. 42'. One belongs to the right, and the other to the left side ; but 

 they are obviously not a pair ; and it is curious that the collection also affords a third 

 exoccipital belonging to the left side, not so perfect as either of those which have been 

 figured, but sufficiently so to prove that it has exactly the same characters as fig. 42'. 

 We have thus, from these bones alone, evidence of the presence in the ossiferous cave 

 of Zebbug of three very young Pigmy Elephants. In general dimensions, as has been 

 said, the two exoccipitals very closely agree, the principal difference remarkable between 

 them being that fig. 42' f is rather higher, as it may be termed, in proportion to its an- 

 tero-posterior diameter than fig. 44. The exact antero-posterior width cannot be positively 

 given, owing to the imperfect condition of the bones ; but as the posterior part of each 



* Tke fact is, that both are broken across the ^veakest part of the bone. 



t To save words, as I am unwilling; to employ a specific name, I use the Nos.*of the figures to designate the 

 two bones. 



