62 



ME. A. L. ADAMS ON THE OSTEOLOGT OF 



the two just noticed. There is a recent transverse fracture of its shaft, by which about 

 an inch has been broken off; however, I ascertained the following admeasurements 

 beforehand — entire length 13 inches, girth of middle of shaft 5'6, breadth of lower 

 articulating surface 2 '8. 



These three tibiae belonged unquestionably to adult elephants; and it will appear 

 that the largest (figs. 1 & 2) belonged to an individual somewhat larger than that of 

 fig. 3. From the closer proximity of the femoral condyles in the African than in the 

 Asiatic and Mammoth, there is consequently a smaller intercondyloid fissure ; we should 

 therefore also expect a corresponding convergence of the tibial cups, and that the 

 dividing ridge will be narrower. Now all the characters of the African are apparent in 

 the fossils just described. Moreover, in comparison with the Asiatic, it would appear 

 that the tibia of the African is relatively shorter, at least as far as the single skeleton in 

 the British Museum is compared with an Asiatic of about the same relative age. A small 

 concavity between the spine and external cup, close to the head, is apparent in certain 

 specimens of the Asiatic, but is wanting in the single African and in the fossils. As to the 

 distal extremity, excepting a greater obliquity of the fibular facet in the African and the 

 fossils than in the Asiatic, there do not seem any marked differences in the outlines 

 of the astragaloid surface, further than, perhaps, that the African has it more oval than 

 the Asiatic, whereas the surface fig. 2« has an outline intermediate in form and more 

 like that of the Mammoth. 



The spine is rounded, and the anterior angle of the shaft is barely traceable to the 

 inner malleolus; consequently the middle and lower third in fi-ont are well rounded. 

 On the posterior aspect there is a deep concavity below the head ; and both outer and 

 inner angles are pronounced on each side: the former can be easily followed to the 

 outer malleolus, whilst the latter is scarcely so well defined, but still traceable. These 

 peculiarities I shall revert to presently in discussing the characters of the young bone : 

 they are present in the Asiatic tibia ; but, if any thing, the internal is the more defined. 

 As compared with the same bone in the following, it would seem that, although much 

 less in length, its facets are even larger than those of the Sumatran, B.M. By com- 

 parison, I find the tibia of the latter and the admeasurements of Plate XV. figs. 1 & 2 

 to stand thus : — 



Even the youthful specimen (707/i, B.M.) with which the fossil is exactly comparable 



