976 an. c i. vonsYTn ma.jor on a [Deo. 1, 



POTAMOOHffiETJS. 



The Wild Hog of Madagascar, of which the National Museum 

 contains the skin of a young specimen, figures in my collections 

 with 11 specimens, male and female, adult and young, and complete 

 skeletons. The species has been named, but never described, and 

 will have to be compared with the P. afncanus, with which it 

 presents more affinity than with P. penicillutus. To judge from 

 the characters of the dentition, the same type is represented in 

 the Siwaliks {S. hysudricus) as well as in the Upper Miocene 

 and Pliocene of Europe, Eppelsheim, Montebamboli, Casteani, &c. 

 {S, palwochoerus and S. clum-oides). 



Hippopotamus. 



Filhol is of opinion that there are three subfossil Hippopotami 

 in Madagascar. There are certainly two on the west coast, to 

 judge from the remains in the National Museum. My material 

 comes from Sirabe, and the species may be different from those on 

 the west coast. For the present, the question of one species more 

 or less is a secondary one to me. All the Hippopotamus remains 

 from Madagascar, those in the British Museum as well as those 

 collected by myself and those preserved in Christiania and Paris, 

 are certainly nearly related to each other, and this relationship 

 may be briefly summed up as follows : — In size they are inter- 

 mediate between //. liheriensis and H. palceindicus ; in more 

 important characters they would have to be placed, according to 

 their greater or lesser degree of specialization, between //. siva- 

 lensis and H. palceindicus on one side, and H. ampldhius on the 

 other; one end of the whole line being occupied by the most 

 generalized form, H. liheriensis, existing in W. Africa, and the 

 other by the most specialized one, //. major of the Upper Pliocene 

 of Europe. The whole series would be as follows: — 



//. liheriensis. 



II. iravadicus. 



II. sivalensii. 



H. palaiindiaus. 



H. madagascariensis, H. merlei, &c. 



11. ampJiihiics. 



H, major. 



I have called the IT. liheriensis the most generalized form ; this 

 does not hold good certainly as to the number of its incisors, in which 

 respect it is very much specialized. The particulars of the cranium 

 have almost the value of family characters, as by them it approaches 

 the extinct genus Merycopotamus and the Suidaj, and appears to 

 be, as was pointed out by Gratiolet, less aquatic and especially 

 less exclusivel)"^ herbivorous than II. amphibiiis. Compared with 

 the other members, and especially with //. amphihius and //. major, 

 one of the most strilung differences lies in the relative proportion 

 of the cranial and facial portion of the skull, the first beiug greatly 



