INTRODUCTION". 



21 



Perim Island, Mastodon latidens and Elephas Cliftii from 

 Ava, and Elephas Namadicus from the valley of the Ner- 

 budda.' It follows, that in the Sewalik hills alone there 

 were nearly as many fossil species of mastodon and elephant 

 as there are now species of the whole order of Pachydermata 

 upon the continent of India.^ 



ISText come the Hippopotami, of which five fossil species 

 have been found in India. One of these, H. Palceindicus, is a 

 true hippopotamus with four incisors allied to the H. major, 

 which we have included under the subgenus Tetraprotodon. 

 Three, H. Sivalensis, H. Iravaticus, and H. Namadicus, differ 

 from all species hitherto described in having the same number 

 of incisors as the hog, viz. six in both jaws, and conse- 

 quently we have constituted them into a new subgenus, 

 Hexaprotodon. The fifth is so distinct, and in its teeth it so 

 nearly approaches the ruminants as to form a new genus, 

 Merycopotam,us. The Tetraprotodon and Hexaprotodon Nama- 

 dicus are from the valley of the ISTerbudda ; the Hex. Irava- 

 ticus from Ava ; the Hex. Sivalensis, and Merycopotamus dissi- 

 inilis from the Sewalik hills.^ 



Two fossil species of rhinoceros have been discovered in 

 the Sewalik hills. Rhinoceros Sivalensis and R. platyrhinus ; 

 the cranium of the former being remarkably concave on its 

 upper surface, that of the latter being flat. Rhinoceros 

 Sivalensis was evidently unicorned, and it was also remarkable 

 in having six instead of four incisors in both jaws. In this 

 respect it resembled the contemporary hippopotamus of the 

 same formations. A third species of fossil rhinoceros comes 

 from Perim Island, R. Perim,ensis ; and a fourth from the 

 valley of the Nerbudda, R. Namadicus. 



' For an account of the discovery of 

 fossils in the valley of the Nerbudda, 

 ' in consequence of a hint from Dr. Hugh 

 Falconer,' see Journ. Asiat. Soc. October 

 1832, vol. i. p. 456. 



Extract of letter to Sir Charles Lyell, 

 1865 :— 



' I have already made out t"wo perfectly/ 

 (^zs^MiCi! Tertiary Faunas in India, the one 

 in the Nerbudda (i.e. Central India), com- 

 paratively late, and characterised by 

 Elejjhas Namadicus, Uippopotmmis fcdm- 

 indicus, and a large species of Bubahis, 

 ■with other Bovida, all of them perfectly 

 different from those found in the Sewalik 

 hills. The elephant is closely allied to 

 the species I have named Elephas antiquus 

 of Astiana in Piedmont, the Cromer (in 

 part) and other fresh-water beds of Nor- 

 folk, and also of the caves in England 

 and Fouvent in France. Strange it is 

 that Elephas Namadicus is nearer to the 



English species than to the existing In- 

 dian species, although in time only a 

 little ahead of the latter. This is a fact 

 for Darwin. 



' The hippopotamus of the Nerbudda 

 is like the existing African and Val 

 d'Arno fossil species, a Tetraprotodon, 

 while the Sewalik and Ava species are 

 Hexaprotodo'iis. We have never yet found 

 Mastodon in the Nerbudda Fauna ; but 

 we have got sparing remains of one of 

 the Sewalik Stegodons, i. e. intermediate 

 elephants, from it. 



' Tlie large ruminants of the Sewalik 

 Fauna are none of them of the modern 

 types of^Bovidce.' — [Ed.] 



'^ The above account is derived from a 

 letter to Mr. Broderip, dated April 6, 

 1846.— [Ed]. 



^ Mainly from a letter to M. de Blain- 

 ville in 1846.— [Ed.] 



