72 FOSSIL MAMMALIA. 



more oblique frontwards than in the elephant. Their position 

 is disputed ; Mr. Peale thinks that they were placed with the 

 point downwards, contrary to the position of the elephanfs 

 tusks. His reasons are not very cogent, and the Baron comes 

 to a contrary conclusion. 



It seems indubitable, from anatomical reasoning, with which 

 we shall not trouble our readers, that the mastodon had a trunk 

 like the elephant. Mr. Peale says, that the spinous apophyses 

 of the three last cervical vertebrae are shorter in the mastodon 

 than in the elephant. The second, third, and fourth dorsal 

 have very long apophyses. They decrease rapidly as far as 

 the twelfth, after which they become very short. In the ele- 

 phant they are more uniform, which argues more force in the 

 muscles of the spine, and in the cervical hgament. 



There are seven cervical vertebrae, nineteen dorsal, and 

 three lumbar. The elephant has one dorsal vertebra, and a 

 pair of ribs additional. The ribs are differently formed from 

 those of the elephant ; slender near the cartilage, thick and 

 strong towards the back. The first six pair are very strong, 

 compared with the others, which grow very short in proportion. 

 This character, united to the depression of the pelvis, proves 

 that the belly was less voluminous than that of the elephant. 



In general, the long bones of the anterior extremity are 

 much thicker, in proportion, than those of the hinder extre- 

 mity. The pelvis is much more depressed than in the elephant, 

 in proportion to its width. Its aperture is much more narrow. 

 This conformation must have rendered the abdomen smaller, 

 and the intestines less voluminous. This character, united to 

 the structure of the teeth, would lead us to consider the mas- 

 todon as less exclusively herbivorous. 



The width of the femur is another distinguishing character 

 of the mastodon. The tibia is also much thicker in proportion 

 to its length, compared with that of the elephant. It also 

 differs in some minuter details. 



Very exaggerated ideas were once entertained concerning 



