THE MALTESE FOSSIL ELEPHANTS. 51 



its shaft, showing the condyloid ridge together with the head of the left humerus, were 

 all discoA'ered together in Benghisa Gap, in conjunction with scapula PL XII. fig. 3. 

 The more perfect of the two humeri (fig. 1) has lost its tuberosity; enough remains, 

 however, to enable me to institute some interesting comparisons between it and the head 

 of the humerus from Zebbug. In the first place, as to the dimensions of the humerus 

 in question, — this I ascertained, before removal from its matrix and previous to the 

 inevitable loss of the major portion of the shaft and condyles, to be about 14-5 inches, 

 which is smaller than what Mr. Busk accords to his E. melitensis, and 2J inches larger 

 than the maximum length oi E. falconeri^. It is requisite to state that the epiphysis is 

 completely consolidated in my specimen, indeed more so than the figure might indicate, 

 as in the latter the artist has shown a line which is merely a crack in a thin coating of 

 cement let into a decayed portion. There are two very evident characters common to 

 the humerus of E. melitensis of Busk and that now under consideration, and at once 

 conspicuous in comparison with the humerus of other elephants, viz. the proportionally 

 narrow compressed head, and the pronounced shallow and open bicipital groove. More- 

 over the deltoidal crest, which is low down in the African, is also so situated in my 

 specimen. The humerus on which Mr. Busk has established the pygmy species E. fal- 

 coneri was previously alluded to by Dr. Falconer as belonging to "an early adult indi- 

 vidual." The proximal epiphysis is lost ; but the distal is consolidated, and the specimen 

 is 9 inches and may have been, according to Busk, 12 inches in length when entire ^ The 

 diflference in relative dimensions between the latter and the two preceding is decidedly 

 remarkable, but in no wise out of keeping with instances among recent species. 



1. One of the largest fragments of a long bone referable to the Maltese elephants is 

 shown in PI. XI. fig. 1. It is the mutilated proximal end of a right humerus found in 

 Mnaidra Gap. The entire limb had evidently occupied the position where the above was 

 found ; but only about 1 J foot of the upper end and a fragment of the distal extremity 

 were saved. The great tuberosity and a small portion of the head posteriorly aie lost ; 

 but the antero-posterior admeasurement of the latter is preserved. This and the breadth 

 are 8 inches and 6 inches respectively. The distal extremity admitted of the deter- 

 mination of the length of the outer condyle (by tape) and the breadth of the olecranon- 

 pit, which were 6-2 and 2 inches respectively. Besides the more open and shallow groove 

 for the bicipital in the African, as compared with the Asiatic and Mammoth, there are 

 other characteristic differences between the humeri of the two recent species. Perhaps a 

 large number of African specimens would show the head to be less globular, as seems to 

 obtain in the individual in the British Museum ; if so, we should expect a less circular 

 glenoid cavity of the scapula. Now, as regards fig. 1, if this should be the case, I opine 

 it would assimilate more closely to the African ; but with such imperfect materials it 



' See Table, Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vi. p. 306, and plate 18. fig. 22. 



' According to Dr. Falconer's estimate, as shown in figs. 1,2, & 3, pi. 14, Palaeont. llemoirs, he computes the 

 original length of this specimen to have only been 9-6 to 10 inches. See vol. ii. page 303. 



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