82 BAHIA BLANCA, [cHar, v. 
nearly perfect skeleton. It must have been as large as a rhino- 
ceros: in the structure of its head it comes, according to Mr. 
Owen, nearest to the Cape Ant-eater, but in some other respects it 
approaches to the armadilloes. Fourthly, the Mylodom Darwinii, 
a closely related genus of little inferior size. Fifthly, another gi- 
gantic edental quadruped. Sixthly, a large animal, with an osseous 
coat in compartments, very like that of an armadillo. Seventhly, 
an extinct kind of horse, to which I shall have again to refer. 
Eighthly, a tooth of a Pachydermatous animal, probably the same 
with the Macrauchenia, a huge beast with a long neck like a camel, 
which I shall also refer to again. Lastly, the Toxodon, perhaps 
one of the strangest animals ever discovered : in size it equalled an 
elephant or megatherium, but the structure of its teeth, as Mr. 
Owen states, proves indisputably that it was intimately related to 
the Gnawers, the order which, at the present day, includes most 
of the smallest quadrupeds: in many details it is allied to the 
Pachydermata: judging from the position of its eyes, ears, and 
nostrils, it was probably aquatic, like the Dugong and Manatee, 
to which it is also allied. How wonderfully are the different 
Orders, at the present time so well separated, blended together in 
different points of the structure of the Toxodon ! 
The remains of these nine great quadrupeds, and many de- 
tached bones were found embedded on the beach, within the 
space of about 200 yards square. It is a remarkable circum- 
stance that so many different species should be found together; 
and it proves how numerous in kind the ancient inhabitants of 
this country must have been. At the distance of about thirty 
miles from P. Alta, in a cliff of red earth, I found several frag- 
ments of bones, some of large size. Among them were the teeth 
of a gnawer, equalling in size and closely resembling those of 
the Capybara, whose habits have been described ; and therefore, 
probably, an aquatic animal. There was also part of the head of 
a Ctenomys; the species being different from the Tucutuco, but 
with a close general resemblance. The red earth, like that of 
the Pampas, in which these remains were embedded, contains, ac- 
cording to Professor Ehrenberg, eight fresh-water and one salt- 
water infusorial animalcule; therefore, probably, it was an 
estuary deposit. 
The remains at Punta Alta were embedded in stratified gravel 
