FELIS SPELAA. 127 
§ 3a. Patella (Pl. XIX, figs. 5, 5’).—The patella of Felis spelea, of which many 
specimens are preserved in the Taunton Museum from the caves of Sandford Hill and 
Bleadon, exactly resembles that of the Lion and Tiger in form, but surpasses them in 
size. As in the recent Feles, it varies considerably in size and proportion. In shape it 
resembles a flattened pear, the small end being that to which the great ligament is attached 
which unites the bone to the anterior crest of the tibia. Many anatomists consider that 
in this bone we have the analogue, in the hind limb, of the olecranon of the ulna, a point 
that will be found fully discussed in the ‘ Cyclopedia of Anatomy and Physiology.’? The 
outer or anterior surface (Pl. XIX, fig. 5’) is roughened for the attachment of the tendons 
of the muscles, which we have elsewhere pointed out as the extensors of the leg and the 
flexors of the thigh, including the “paracural” of Straus-Durckheim, which has no 
analogue in man. ‘I'he upper part of the proximal or posterior surface (fig. 5) is entirely 
occupied by the slightly convex articulation which fits the intercondylian or anterior facet 
of the femur ; its edges slightly extend beyond the body of the bone. 
The only patella liable to be confounded with that of Felis spelea is that of the Bear ; 
it may, however, be easily distinguished by its more oval form, and by the greater com- 
parative extent of its femoral articulation. 
§ 3 6B. Measurements—The variation in size is seen in the following table of 
measurements of the patella in Felis spelea, F. leo, and FP. tagris :— 
Felis spelea. Felis leo. F. tigris. 
Taunton Museum. 
8 80 8p 
~ - _ 
a 3 =] 3 
-o 3 3 3 wa n n n 
os 5 2 
=} > > = = = 
5-5 s & Ss < SS iS rat 
O38 oO oO oO oO iS) oO 
s Bt | g s > a A 4 
C) S) ) iS) o Je) a 
= Me ad iat SMS 1 =e 
o o o o 
Bee hipsters 
2 & 
cea 
is) 
to 
© 
S 
eo 
=) 
S 
bo 
ea) 
S 
on 
S 
to 
ae 
— 
to 
nN 
to 
SG Gad 1°85 | 1°94 
Maximum circumference ..................--. 4:73 | 5:00 | 4°58 | 4:37 | 400) 4:1 37 3°4 
Transverse measurement of proximal arti- 
culation 1:85 | 2:00 | 1°80 ; hae 
1 Article ‘Skeleton,’ p. 664 et seq. 
