138 



FAUNA ANTIQUA SIVALENSIS. 



' Reliquice Diluviance,' described as found in a peat bog in 

 Lancashire, and of wbich. a drawing is given in Professor 

 Buckland's work alluded to, little resemblance is recognizable. 

 The Lancashire fossil has the four incisors, with a lower jaw 

 of proportions apparently quite unique, and with a prominency 

 of arch in the nasal bone equally so. We may, however, re- 

 mark the elevated occipital crest, and the fall towards the 

 space between the orbits which exists in the Lancashire 

 fossil, as this appears to be general in the fossil species, re- 

 lieving the head from that straightness of chaffron which 

 is noted as one of the peculiarities of the African Hippo- 

 potamus. 



Having concluded our remarks regarding the Hijjpopotamus 

 8ivalensis,we now come to another and a smaller species of this 

 genus, which appears to have been less numerous, but with the 

 remains of which we are sufficiently provided, although in the 

 possession of only two fragments ; one the imj)erfect skull of 

 an old animal with the teeth much worn, and the other the 

 right side of the lower jaw, showing an unusual contraction or 

 narrowness in the symphysis ; this latter fragment contains five 

 molars, the rear one perfect, and the last false molar sufficiently 

 marked to establish the age of the animal ; this was past adult, 

 the first and second advanced cylinders of the rear molar being 

 worn, and the third or rear one in the state of germ, but fully 

 out of the alveolus. The form of this tooth differs from the 

 great Hippopotamus in the absence of the trefoil, the wear of 

 the coronals of each pair of coUines taking a crescentic form 

 outwards, not unlike that of ruminants,' the grinding surface 

 sloping outwards, very similar to the description given by 

 Cuvier of the Eiiypojpotamus minutus (PI. XIII. figs. 1 & 4). 

 The form of the jaw, however, is peculiar, the marked features 

 consisting of a general slenderness of proportions, and an 

 inequality in the dej^th, which being contracted at the 

 point of the descending process, gets gradually deeper, and 

 diminishes again still more gradually up to the symphysis 

 (PI. XIII. figs. 1 & 2) : in the great Hij)popotamus we have a 

 straight, thick, massive jaw. The foramen for the artery 

 distinctly exhibited in the fossil enters just behind the last 

 tooth on the internal face of the ramus, and shows itself 



' This niminant character of the teeth 

 afterwards induced Dr. Falconer to con- 

 stitute this species into a new subgenus, 

 under the designation of Merj'copotamus. 

 In a letter to Captain Cautley, dated 

 Januarj' 27th, 1844, he writes thus : ' I 

 intend bringing out the Hippo, dissimilis 

 as a new genus, under the name of Mery- 

 copotamus, merico having reference to 



the niminant character of the teeth.' 

 As Merycopotamus the species is figured 

 in the Fauna Antiqua Sivalensis, in Plate 

 Ixviii., of which the resemblance between 

 the teeth of Merycopotamus and those of 

 Anthracotherium is pointed out. Subse- 

 quently, Dr. Falconer distinguished two 

 species of Merycopotamus. See vol. ii. — 

 [Ed.] 



