ALCES LATIFRONS. 3 



character, as Mr. Gunn pointed out to me, would give an advantage to the old males in 

 their contests, and would protect the forehead, which is unprotected by the antlers, from 

 a blow delivered in front. The width of the frontals, including the bases of the pedicles, 

 is in this specimen 8 inches. 



In the nine frontals with antlers attached (PL I, figs. 3, 4, 5, 6), the pedicle is in the 

 frontal plane, with one exception in Mr. Backhouse's collection, in which the main axis 

 of the antler is at an angle of 8° to the frontal plane. The pedicles are very short, 

 ranging from 1 to 1^ inches in length. 



The great width of the frontals between the antlers, to which the species owes its 

 name, is indicated in Table II by the measurement from the interfrontal suture to the 

 bur, which ranges from 3'8 to 4*8 inches, while in the Alces machlis it ranges from 2' 9 

 to 3'75 inches. This implies a width of forehead ranging from 7 to 9 inches in the 

 fossil as compared with G to 7 inches in the living Elk. With this exception I am 

 unable, after a careful comparison of the fossil with eleven skulls of Alces machlis in 

 the British Museum and the College of Surgeons (PI. I, figs. 1 and 7), to discover any 

 specific difference between them. There are, however, as may be seen in Table I, 

 variations which are too small to deserve further notice. It will further be seen that 

 the fossil skulls are smaller than those of the living Elk. The pedicle is short in both, 

 and the frontal angle, i. e. angle measured from frontal plane between the antlers 

 (see Table II), presents the same range of variation in both from 0'0° to 8°, and the 

 pedicle as a rule being in the frontal plane. 



Tablk I. — Comparative Measurements 1 of Skulls of Alces latifrons and A. machlis. 



Occipital height 



Occipital width 



Mastoid width j 



Occipital foramen, width 



Occipital foramen, height 



Occipital foramen to occipital crest ... 

 Antero-posterior length of parietals ... 



Mastoid to mastoid (tape) I 



Occipital crest to antler base I 



Occipital crest to parieto-frontal suture 



Occipital crest to occipito-parietal 



suture 



Alces latifrons. 



Weybourn 



Dredged off 



Beds, East 



Do^ejer Bank, 



Runton, Coll. 



Owles' Coll., 



Savin, 



Brit. Mus., 



PI. I, fig. 1. 



46108. 



4-0 



41 



53 



5-0 



— 



60 



13 



— 



1-3 



1-5 



27 



2-4 



2-0 



2-5 



9-3 



8-5 



4 



30 



4-0 



3o 



14 



1-2 



Brit. Mus., 

 Male. 



4-5 

 45 

 65 

 17 

 1-9 

 30 

 32 

 9-0 

 47 

 4-5 



Coll. Surgeons 



1627. 



Male. 



Sweden, 



PI. I, fig. 1. 



50 

 5-0 

 6-8 

 16 

 19 

 3-0 

 4-5 

 12-3 

 46 

 4-5 



20 



Coll. Surgeons 



1626. 



Male. 

 New Carolina 



5-0 

 5-0 

 67 



34 

 39 



4-5 



4-6 



1 All the measurements are taken in inches and tenths. 



