CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 23b 



Calcaneum. — Concavity inner side of heel not very pronounced, but more so than in 

 U. aniiquHs ; dorsal aspect of heel broad; outer articular surface nearly quadrilateral, 

 inner ovoidal j peroneal surface less prominent than in either of the other two Elephants. 



Internal cuneiforme. — Round shaft ; proximal articular surface oblique ; distal even 

 and subtriangular. (PL XXI, fig. 2.) 



Fifth metatarsal. — Round dorsal aspect ; cuboidal facet circular. 



First phalanx compressed laterally. 



CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. 



The osteological distinctions adduced in support of the existence of three species of 

 Elephants in the British Islands during the Pliocene and Post-pliocene Periods suggest 

 certain inferences in relation to their external characters and distributions. 



The Mammoth seems to have preserved its thick covering of hair in both middle and 

 high latitudes, as inferred from the Arctic specimens and the etching on the piece of 

 tusk found in the cave of La Madelaine in the DorcLgne. It was more slender than the 

 other two forms, and apparently more active in its habits. 



As regards dimensions there was considerable variability. No doubt there were 

 local races, as with the two living Elephants ; and these were characterised by 

 external, as w r ell as internal, distinctions. The small bones and teeth from the Ilford 

 Brick-earths contrast with the larger dental and osseous elements from deposits in the 

 neighbourhood and elsewhere throughout the Islands. 



Reverting to the etching from Dordogne, the external ear, like that of the Asiatic, was 

 apparently small as compared with the African ; and, like the former, its skull showed a 

 high crown, and the back behind the withers was prominent. These two characters are 

 likewise confirmed by the skeleton. 



In its long and dense pile of hair and bristles 1 streaming down face, cheeks, flanks, 

 and quarters, the Mammoth must have presented a far more formidable appearance than 

 might be inferred from its skeleton. 



As regards height there seems to have been considerable variability. In comparison 

 with the two recent species it may have averaged about 11 feet at the shoulder, whilst 



1 " Referring to the hair from Siberia in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, Owen observes 

 that it differed in length and thickness ; some bristles, nearly black, were much thicker than horse-hair, 

 and from twelve to eighteen inches long." — ' British Fossil Mammals,' foot-note, p. 266. 



