128 FAUNA ANTIQUA SIVALENSIS. 



outlines of the existing elephant, on a scale of one-eighth on linear 

 measurement.' 



The fossil is exceedingly perfect in some respects. The left orbit 

 and maxillaries are as sharp and well defined as in the recent skull ; 

 the frontal and nasals are tolerably perfect, the specimen is fractured 

 obliquely, removing the temporal swellings and diploe of the cranium, 

 together with the occipital condyles and foramen magnum ; the curve 

 of the occipital on its external surface is however retained, and 

 although sutures are altogether wanting, and the alveoli of the tusks 

 are mutilated, the specimen may be considered as sufficient to give a 

 perfect idea of the form of the skull ; and, as a form perfectly unique 

 amongst the proboscidean pachydermata, will be looked upon with 

 satisfaction by all those Avho take interest in the additions that have 

 of late years been so rapidly made to paleontology, and to the catalogue 

 of animals now no longer existing on the globe. The present skull 

 derives additional interest from its being so different from the only 

 type of the same genus or co-genus (for it may be permitted so to 

 designate the elephant) which has been left to us — so different, indeed, 

 as to completely modify the construction of the head, and the arrange- 

 ment of the muscular and fleshy matter that must have belonged to it. 



Without entering into any minutiaj of detail on the peculiarities of 

 the head, of which the drawings will give a representation, and which 

 detail will be reserved tmtil our collections enable us to bring under 

 one view all the varieties of this genus that the Sewaliks may contain, 

 it will be sufficient, in announcing this very interesting addition to our 

 cabinet, to draw attention to a few leading points. 



In the skull of the existing elephant, the excess of longitudinal 

 measurement, over that in the contrary direction, owing to the great 

 development of the superior portion of the cranium, is one of the 

 most marked peculiarities of its form ; the height from the external 

 nasal opening to the top or apex of the cranium is immense, although 

 tmdergoing modification from age ; this excessive development not 

 being derived from any increase of size in the cerebral cavity, but from 

 a wide sjjace composed of cellular bone or diploe, giving an external 

 and deep covering to all that space occupied by the brain ; the size 

 of the orbit is small in comparison to the temporal region ; the 

 large external nasal aperture is situated between the orbits ; and the 

 front in the Indian species is slightly depressed. Now in turning to 

 the fossil, we find that the whole of these peculiarities are either 

 reversed, or modified in an extraordinary degree. 



The elevated and massive cranium does not exist, the slope towards 

 the occipital and foramen magnum commencing from the top of the 

 external nasal opening and falling ofl^ to the rear in an abrupt angle ; 

 the size of the orbit is large, and its encircling bones massive and 

 prominent ; the space between the orbits to the front continued up 

 to the nasal o]jeniug is depressed to an enormous extent, and the two 

 lines of alveoli of the tusks strongly marked ; the temporal fossse are 

 small in comparison to those of the existing elephant, and the 

 temporal bones, Avhich although broken off in the specimen from 

 which the drawing is taken, exists in another skull in our possession, 



' The original figures have not been 

 reproduced, but a fine specimen of M. 



Sivalensis is represented in Plate x. — 

 [Ed.] 



