436 



FAUNA ANTIQUA SIVALENSIS. 



Plate XII. B. 



Figs. 1, 2, and 3. — Elephas Namadicus. Three different views of 

 same skiiU as figured in PI. XII. A. The molars are less perfect than 



Memorandum upon the Nerbudda Fossil Elephant — continued. 



The specimen is upper jaw, right side, 

 •with the last grinder of which the eleven 

 anterior plates remain ; there must have 

 been several more behind, from the great 

 height of the last plate. On comparing 

 the section with that of the E. Hysu- 

 dricus and existing Indian species, it is 

 at once seen to differ from the former in 

 the extreme height of the plates, frorq 

 their sliglit amount of tliinning upwards 

 and their nearly vertical direction. They 

 are as straight and vertical as in the 

 Mammoth. There is besides no loop 

 about the middle of the tooth plates, in 

 the enamel and comparatively thin 

 crusta. It is assuredly different from 

 the E. Hysudricus. As compared with 

 the existing species, the ivory is very 

 much thicker, with no curve towai'ds the 

 apex; the enamel plates are very much 

 tiiieker also. The crown of the plates 

 resembles very much the last tooth of 

 Corse's big head in the transverse di- 

 rection of the plate ribands, and in the 

 excessive amount of crimping or fine 

 plaiting of the enamel. From the 

 m.easurement given it will be seen, 

 however, that the enamel and ivory in 

 thickness indicate a wide difference, 

 which is further borne out by the ver- 

 tieality of the plates. Having seen 

 nothing among the existing teeth of a 

 range of difference at all approaching 

 this, I am compelled to consider the 

 species, as far as my present information 

 goes, as distinct. There is no possibility 

 of considering it a variety of E. Hysu- 

 dricus. I call it therefore provisionally 

 Elephas Namadicus (from the Greek 

 name of the Nerbudda ' Namadus '). It 



was found along with Hippopotamus, 

 Buffalo, &c., in the Nerbudda. There 

 must have been at least nine or ten 

 plates more, and it would rank in place 

 between the existing Indian elephant 

 and the E. Hysudricus — 



Thus, E. primigenius, 



E. Indicus, 



E. Namadicus, 



E. Hysudricus, 



E. planifrons, 4'C. 

 The inferred distinctness of species 

 is further borne out by the excessive 

 width of palate in the other Nerbudda 

 specimen, seven inches behind. The 

 Perim species is probably the same. 



N.B. — Prinsep, in the Journal of the 

 Asiat. Society of Bengal, vol. iii. p. 585, 

 describes and figures the lower jaw, one 

 side nearly entire, of a fossil Elephant from 

 the Nerbudda, which he states to be so 

 like the existing Asiatic Elephant, judg- 

 ing from a comparison with a jaw in the 

 Calcutta Museum, that it was impos- 

 sible to distinguish them, although it 

 may be confidently distinguished from 

 tlie E. primigenius. The figure shows 

 about fifteen or sixteen plates in wear, 

 and at least seven more behind, or 

 twenty-tliree to twenty-four in all. The 

 rami, however, as sketched by Prinsep, 

 are much more apart than in the Asiatic 

 species generally. Dimensions : length, 

 11| in., width in the middle, 3| in.; 

 transverse diameter of jaw at coronoid 

 disc, 6 in., and girth of jaw in front of 

 coronoid, 24 in. 



This in all probability belongs to the 

 Elephas Namadicus, na also the prod igi- 

 ouslj' large humerus at the India House. 



