360 



BLEPHANTIDiB. 



Stegodon, Trilophodon, and Tetralophodon (Falconer), and perhaps 

 Elasmotherium (Fischer). 



Here also should probably be referred the family Dinotheriidm ; 

 but unfortunately a part of the head of these animals only is known. 

 They seem to form a passage to the fish-shaped Sikenba, which 

 are evidently much more allied to these Bruta than to the Cetaoea, 

 with which they have hitherto been classed. I refer, for the speci- 

 mens of these animals in the British Museum, to the ' Catalogue of 

 Seals and Whales,' which has lately appeared. 



It is impossible to arrange with certainty a multitude of genera or 

 pseudo-genera established upon fragments of bones. 



It is constantly asserted that if you give a palaeontologist a frag- 

 ment of a bone, or even a single tooth, he will be able to build up 

 a complete animal and show you its proper position in the system ; 

 but one has only to observe the history of some fossil species, as 

 shown by their synonyms, to see that this is a very great over- 

 statement of the case, and that even with large portions of the 

 skeletons and many teeth there is great uncertainty as to their 

 position in the system, and as to the alliances of fossils, even in the 

 works of the leaders in the science. Cuvier described the Dino- 

 theriwm and some Manati as Tapirs ; but then only the teeth were 

 known. More recently a fossil skull with teeth from Australia has 

 been described as a carnivorous Marsupial (Thylacoleo). It is now 

 believed to be only a leaf-eating Marsupial, nearly allied to the genus 

 Cuscus. ■ A multitude of similar instances might be mentioned. 



