HIPPOPOTAMUS. 



133 



The Sewalik fossil, noted as ITo. 1,' is a perfect skvJl, with 

 the exception of the incisive bones, and fortunately exhibits 

 the sutures on the upper surface ; a second specimen, consist- 

 ing of the occipital and parietal regions with the frontal as 

 far forward as the front of the orbits ; and a third fr-agnient, 

 consisting of the incisive bones and teeth with the anterior 

 extremity of the nasals and mamillaries, are those from which 

 we draw a comparison of the bones on the upper and lower 

 surface, and of the form and position of the molars. 



On the upper surface of the fossil, the chaffron, instead of 

 running in a flat line, slightly concave as in the existing 

 animal, is considerably depressed in the region between the 

 orbits, the superior ridges of which are elevated in proportion, 

 and stand considerably forward on the cranium (PL XI. fig. 3). 

 From the remarks on the elongated form of the temporal fossa 

 it may be hardly necessary to advert to the similar extension 

 of the sagittal crest, which is proportionally longer and more 

 marked, with a greater elevation at its junction with the 

 occipital. The broken and fractured boundaries of the nasal 

 aperture in all our specimens of skulls will not admit of our 

 measurements extending to that point, but we are able, from 

 a fragment above referred to, containing the incisive bones 

 and nasal aperture, to note, that the nasal bones are advanced 

 as far forward as those in the living animal, so that a straight 

 line touches their anterior extremities, drawn from the front 

 of the canine alveolus on one side to that on the other. The 

 nasal bones do not expand so much towards the rear as in 

 the existing Hippopotamus, and that part connected with 

 the frontal is more blunt and rounded ; the distance between 

 the nasal bone and the orbit and the lachrymal juncture is 

 comparatively larger. The lachrymals descend upon the 

 jugal much the same as in the existing animal, but they 

 appear to advance considerably more forward on the face, 

 the anterior extremity in conjunction with the nasal and 

 maxillary being exactly over the last vicarious molar, whereas 

 that figured by Cuvier represents this point as over the second 

 true molar. The sub-orbitary foramen is also more advanced, 

 and the hollow in which it is situated, formed by the bulge 

 of the jugal and canine alveolus is, as we before remarked, 

 more abrupt. The figure of the muzzle is very similar to 

 the African variety, with a modification in the form of the 

 incisives adapted to the particular form of the teeth (fig. 2). 

 The width of the muzzle is comparatively greater, but the sepa- 

 ration of the whole into four bluff swellings with the spaces 



' No illustrations appeared with the 

 original memoir, but this want was snp- 

 piiod l)y Messrs Baker and Diiraud in a 



short communication published in tlie 

 same volume of the 'Asiatic Eesearchcs.' 

 [Ed.] 



