180 BULLETIN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY. [Vol.Yl. 



Galecynus Owen. 



Quarterly Journal Geological Society London, 1847, iii, 54-60. — " Cynodon 

 Aymard, Annales Soci6t^ du Puy, 1848, xii, p. 244. — Cynodictis Bravard et 

 Pomel, Notice sur les Ossemens Fossiles de la Debruge, 1850, p. 5. — Cyo- 

 therium Ajiaard, Ann. Soc. d'Agric. du Puy, 1850, xiv, p. 115"; Bronn. 



Dental formula: I. f ; C. |; Pm. |; M. §. Inferior sectorial witb 

 internal tubercle, and with a heel with raised or tubercular internal 

 and external borders. First premolar in both jaws one-rooted. Apost- 

 glenoid but no postparietal foramen. Humerus with an epitrochlear 

 arterial foramen. 



This genus, which is abundantly represented by species and individ- 

 uals, existed during the Upper Eocene epoch in Europe (in the Phos- 

 phorites), and also during the White Eiver or Oligocene in ]^orth 

 America. As the structure of the feet of the numerous species from 

 these epochs is not yet known, and, therefore, some doubt as to their 

 correct generic reference may still exist, I only regard the genus as a 

 certain inhabitant of jS'orth America during the Truckee or Middle 

 Miocene epoch. This is indicated by the Galecynus geismarianus, where 

 the number of the toes on the posterior foot has been ascertained. 



All the species of the genus from Eocene and Lower Miocene beds, as 

 well as most of those of the Loup Fork epoch, are characterized by the 

 relatively small size of their sectorial teeth. In this they resemble the 

 AmpMcyons, Temnoeyons, and other forms of Canidce of the same period, 

 and differ from such true Canes as C. ur sinus j C. scevus, and C. Jiaydeni, 

 which display the enlarged sectorial teeth of the existing species of the 

 genus. Of course there is every gradation in this respect between the 

 two types. In the older species the internal tubercle of the inferior 

 sectiorial tooth is more largely developed than in the later ones, thus 

 approaching some of the species of Viverridce, where it is still more 

 largely developed. As in other characters, there are gradations in this 

 also, so that neither in it nor in the relative size of the sectorials do I 

 find ground for the separation of the species in question from the genus 

 GaniSy as has been proposed in the case of some of the species in Euroi)e. 

 Through the kindness of M. Filhol, I possess jaws of a number of the 

 species found by himself and others in the Phosphorites of Central 

 France, including the Ganis velaunus, the type of the genus Gynodon of 

 Aymard. These agree very nearly with the species of dogs from the 

 American Miocene beds as to generic characters. Professor Owen, in 

 the paper above cited, proposed to distinguish the genus Galecynus on 

 account of the greater length of the poUex as compared with that found 

 in the existing species of Ganis. This character appears to me to be 

 of an unsatisfactory nature, owing to the fact that gradations in the 

 length of a digit are difficult to express with precision in other than a 

 specific sense ; and the gradations may certainly be expected to occur. 



I find in the G. geismarianus a character which separates the genus 

 from Ganis, viz, the iDresence of the epitrochlear foramen of the hu- 

 merus. In this point it agrees with AmpMcyon and Temnocyon. I ar- 



