THE MALTESE FOSSIL ELEPHANTS. 115 



13. The metacarpal, metatarsal, and phalangeal confirm previous evidences with re- 

 spect to the extreme variability in size of equivalent bones \ Strange to say, however, 

 whereas the African type was most apparent in the longer bones of the largest, indeed, in 

 all the forms more or less, we have a leaning towards the Asiatic facies in the digits of 

 the former-, and African characters in the latter'' ; but there is such a commingling of the 

 two recent species even in the same bone, that it is extremely difficult to arrive at any 

 clear decision in relation to the skeleton generally as compared with any known species. 

 In computing the height and proportions of the Maltese fossil species by comparisons 

 with individual bones of the same length in recent Elephants, it has been apparent that 

 the former are relatively broader, with larger articulating surfaces. This is very evident 

 in the long bones of the largest form, which display these characters in a remarkable 

 manner, and proclaim the fact that, at best, it must be considered a small Elephant. 

 Consequently all the remains of the Maltese fossil species represented stunted forms, 

 varying between what appears to be an adult proboscidean, scarcely 3 feet in height, 

 up to a large form or species fully 7 feet at the withers. These, as far as I am enabled 

 to compute from the collection hitherto brought together, seem to be about the 

 maximum and minimum proportions, or almost. 



The individual differences in height in the adult recent species seem to vary between 

 8 and 12 feet*; so that, relatively, the palaeontologist, in the absence of anatomical 

 distinctions, is allowed a broad margin on this head. 



After a careful survey of almost every collection hitherto made of the remains of the 

 Maltese fossil elephants, it appears to me (1) that the incisive and molar teeth afford 

 good evidences of two species, and, as regards dimensions, they admit of a division into 

 large, intermediate, and small ; indeed, as regards the penultimate and last true molars, 

 there seems to me no difficulty in making out four varieties differing considerably in size 

 and to a slight extent in characters. (2) The bones of the cranium, as far as they admit of 

 distinction, show two forms differing in size. ( 3) There are two distinct forms represented 

 by the vertebrae, with a graduating intermediate series which almost runs into the largest 

 and smallest, the distinctions on this head being altogether in relation to dimensions, the 

 bones generally being too imperfect for further determinations. The atlas, however, 

 shows the characters of the African Elephant, the same obtainmg in a perfect seventh 

 cervical vertebra belonging to an Elephant of the same dimensions in the Zebbug 

 collection, and referable to the same small species to which Mr. Busk has given the 

 name of Elephas melitensis. (4) The long bones of the extremities display three 

 marked gradations as to dimensions ; whilst the bones of the feet demonstrate three 

 or four varieties as regards size. (5) With reference to the young and immature bones 

 generally, there are also clear indications of two species, a large and a small. By making 



> Compare PL XIX. with PI. XX. .fe PI. V. = PL XX. figs. 8 & 9. ' PL XX. figs. 1 & 17. 



« See Livingstone's ' Travels in South Africa,' p. 56 ; Tennent's ' Ceylon,' vol. iv. p. 291 ; Baker's ' Nile 

 Tributaries of Abyssinia,' p. 533, and ' Albert Nyanza,' vol. i. p. 275. 



q2 



