402 



MR. R. LYDEKKER ON THE 



'Apr. 23, 



the district, are convinced of the distinctnes.s nnd pecnliaritv of 

 the race of Elephants inhabiting that portion of forest country 

 lying to the south-west of the Albei't Nvanza, in Congo territory. 

 Comjmred with a skull of E. africanus oxijotis presented to the 

 British Museum by the late Sir Samuel Baker (text-fig. 120), the 

 Albert ISTyanza skull (text-fig. 121), while much inferior in total 

 length, is considerably wider across the forehead between the 

 temporal fossa^. The forehead is also much flatter, the pit 

 between the sheaths for the tusks is shortei- and shallower, and 

 the sheaths themselves are shorter and less divergent. There are 

 likewise marked differences in the occipital and lateral aspects of 

 the two skulls. 



Text-fio-. 121. 



Front view of the Skull of the Albert Nyanza Elephant (Elephas africaniis 

 aJhertensis). 



The skull is further remarkable for the great relative stoutness of 

 the zygomatic arch, which is absolutely thicker than in the larger 

 figured skull of E. a. oxyoiis, the large size of the infra-orbital 

 foramen, and the gi'eat thickness of the terminal alveolar portion 

 of the premaxilla?. 



On one side of the uppei' jaw the two molars (penultimate and 

 last) are preserved, the foiiuer having the noi'mal eight plates. 



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