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 sculpturiags 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 distmctly 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 mUk-stage can be arranged 

 in a very gradual progression as to dimensions, i. e. from a 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-formulee 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 



' PI. XI. figs. 11-20, and Trans. Zool. Soc. vi. pi. 52. figs. 46 & 48. 



" I allude to the pre and ante penultimate milk-molars. ' PI. II. fig. 1. 



. ' PI. I. fig. 6, and Trans. Zool. Soc. vi. pi. 53. fig. 2. ' PI. I. fig. 3. 



' Compare PI. I. fig. 8 with fig. 14. 



' PI. I. fig. 15 a. A ridge more or less is common in the penultimate milk-molar of other extinct species 



to wit, E. primigenim and anti^um. ' Compare PI. I. fig. 14 with PI. III. figs. 46 & 5a. 



