30 



BEITISH AND EUROPEAN FOSSIL MASTODONS. 



show only five ridges and the ' talon.' In the Eppelsheim 

 teeth (figs. 12 and 13), the crown is broad; the mammillae are 

 thicker in proportion to their height; the ridges are less 

 elevated, and consist of a greater number of coronal points 

 (there being often as many as six or seven to each ridge) ; the 

 outer and inner lines of points converge less towards the apex 

 of the crown as they rise upwards ; and the valleys are either 

 entirely open and transverse, or interrupted only by an insig- 

 nificant amount of warty tubercles. In the Crag fossils (figs. 

 8 and 9), the crown is narrower in proportion; the mammillse 

 form more attenuated cones, and are more elevated; the 

 ridges consist of fewer coronal points, which, instead of run- 

 ning across in a wide crest, appear, so to speak, as if they had 

 been squeezed together, and their transversality disturbed; 

 the outer and inner lines of points, especially the latter, con- 

 verge rapidly as they ascend, rendering the apex of the crown 

 much narrower than the base ; the outer and inner divisions 

 of the crown are more or less alternate, and the vallicular 

 mammillae that flank and alternate with them are large 

 conical points, which yield discs of wear approaching in size 

 to those of the principal points ; the valleys are completely 

 obstructed by these mammillae, and reduced to a gorge on 

 either side of them. When the teeth are viewed in profile 

 (such as fig. 8, on the above-mentioned plate, compared with 

 fig. 13), the difference is very marked, the latter yielding a 

 series of salient and re-entering angles, corresponding with 

 the prominent points and valleys, which the former does not, 

 the re-entering angles being intercepted by a dark shade, 

 which represents the accessory mammillae. If the eye is next 

 directed to figs. 6 and 6 a, the differences are still more 

 marked, M. (Tetralophodon) Sivalensis exhibiting a greater 

 amount of alternation of the crown-mammillae, and more 

 complexity of pattern, than is even seen in the English Crag 

 Mastodon. To summarize the distinctive characters of the 

 two European species, it may be stated, that M. (Tet.) 

 Arvernensis (PL IV.), with M. (Tet.) Sivalensis, resembles the 

 Hippopotamoid type, and that M. (Tet.) longirostris (Plate III. 

 fig. 1), with the Indian species of M. (Tet.) laticlens, the Dino- 

 therian type, in so far as the form of the crowns of the molar 

 teeth are concerned. 1 



with Dr. Falconer in distinguishing the 

 Italian Tetralophodon from the Mast, 

 longirostris of Eppelsheim, and believe 

 this latter one to be quite as good a 

 species, although the author (Kaup) him- 

 self has thought good to cancel this 

 species and to unite both the Tetralopho- 

 dons of Europe into one species in his 

 last book.'— [Ed.] 



1 In opposition to this view, Kaup has 

 lately endeavoured to show that his own 

 species, Mastodon longirostris, is merely 

 the adult form of M. Arvernensis (Beit- 

 rage, genus Mastodon, 1857). Herr Ed. 

 Suess, however, of the Imperial Museum 

 of Mineralogy of Vienna, thus writes, in 

 a letter to Mr. Rupert Jones, respecting 

 Dr. Falconer's view: — 'I agree wholly 



