260 



FAUNA ANTIQUA SIVALENSIS. 



The remarkable saliency of the bones of the nose in the 

 Sivatherium has no parallel, in known ruminants, to guide 

 us ; and the connection of the nasals with the incisives, or 

 the reverse, does not imply any important difference in struc- 

 ture in the family. In the Bovine section, the Ox and the 

 Buffalo have the nasals and incisives connected ; whereas 

 they are separate in the Yak,' and Aurochs. In the Camel 

 they are also separate, and this animal has greater mobility 

 in the upper Hp than is found in other ruminants. 



In the Pachydermata both these conditions of structure 

 are present and wanting in different genera ; and their pre- 

 sence or absence is accomjjanied with very important differ- 

 ences in the form of the corresponding soft parts. It is, 

 therefore, in this family that we are to look for an exj)lana- 

 tion of what is found in the Sivatherium. 



In the Elephant and Mastodon, the Tapir, Rhinoceros, and 

 Palseotherium, there are three pairs of bones to the external 

 nostrils, viz. : the nasals, the maxillaries, and incisives.^ In 

 all these animals the upper lip is highly developed, so as to be 

 prehensile as in the Rhinoceros, or extended into a trunk as 

 in the Elephant and Tapir ; the amount of development being 

 accompanied with corresponding difference in the position 

 and form of the nasal bones. In the Rhinoceros they are 

 long and thick, extending to the point of the muzzle, and of 

 great strength to support the horns of the animal ; and the 

 upper lip is broad, thick and very mobile, but little elongated. 

 In the Elephant they are very short, and the incisives enor- 

 moiisly developed for the insertion of the tusks, and the trunk 

 is of great length. In the Taj)ir they are short and free ex- 

 cept at the base, and projected high above the maxillaries ; 

 and the structure is accompanied by a well-developed trunk. 

 In the other Pachydermatous genera there are but two pairs 

 of bones to the external nostrils, the nasals and incisives ; 

 the latter running up so as to join on with the former ; and 

 the nasals, instead of being short and salient, with a sinus 

 laterally between them and the maxiUaries, are long and run 

 forwai'd united to the maxillaries, more or less resembling the 

 nearly parallel slips of the Ruminantia. Of these genera 

 the horse has the upper lip endowed with considerable mo- 

 bility ; and the lower end of the nasals is at the same time 

 free to a small extent. In all the other genera there is 

 nothing resembling a prehensile organ in the upper lip. 



In the Sivatherium the same kind of structure holds as is 

 found in the Pachydermata with trunks. Of these it most 



' Cuvier, OssemensFossiles, tome ir. 

 p. 131. 



^ Cuvior, 

 iii. p. 29. 



Ossemens Fossiles, tome 



