1865. J Geology and Palaeontology. 681 



a mixture of selections from several." As regards the mammals there 

 are, according to the author, Ziphioid Cetaceans, from the Middle 

 Antwerp Crag, or an equivalent of it ; Mastodon, Rhinoceros, Tapir, 

 Sus, Felis, &c, from either a late Miocene or an early Pliocene 

 deposit ; and Goryphodon, Hyracotherium, &c, from our own Eocene 

 deposits. Mr. Lankester does not pretend that his idea is new, as he 

 states that it is merely an extension of the views formerly advanced by 

 Mi'. Searles Wood, sen. ; but, unfortunately, it is precisely his extension 

 that will be cavilled at, although Professor Owen has published the 

 same opinion in general terms. Judged by the rules which should 

 govern our processes of ratiocination, Mr. Lankester's argument may 

 doubtless be faulty, as exceptions could be taken to most of its terms ; 

 but as in Geology we cannot expect, and rarely even attempt, to 

 demonstrate with logical acciu'acy, so ought we to judge only of the 

 probability of this view being correct, and not whether there cannot 

 Tbe found a loophole of escape for the Crag worshipper and his white 

 elephant to creep through. 



We must pass over the remaining papers in this number, several 

 of which are of great interest, to enable us to say a few words on the 

 second part of Dr. Falconer's great memoir " On the Species of 

 Mastodon and Elephant occurring in the Fossil State in Great 

 Britain," which is now published (unfortunately incomplete) post- 

 humously, as a postponed paper, having been read on June 3, 1857. 

 As an abstract of the paper was published in 1858, we shall merely 

 give a very general sketch of what is now published in full. This 

 second part refers entirely to the genus Elephas, the genus Mastodon 

 having been described in the first part. Dr. Falconer divides Elephas 

 into three sub-genera, namely, Stegodon, Loxodon, and Euelephas. The 

 Stegodons and Loxodons have hypisomerous teeth, that is to say, they 

 deviate from numerical symmetry by an augmentation of one ridge to 

 the crown of the last " intermediate molar." The teeth of Euelephas 

 are anisomerous, the ridges being more numerous, and augmenting by 

 progressive increments corresponding with the increase of age. The 

 Loxodons differ from the Stegodons in having the ridges of the teeth 

 considerably more elevated and compressed, the latter sub-genus 

 approaching more nearly to the Mastodons. The existing African 

 elephant is a Loxodon, and the existing Indian species belongs to the 

 sub-genus Euelephas. Dr. Falconer describes those species which 

 illustrate the extinct English elephants, beginning with the Stegodons ; 

 and of our extinct forms he gives a full description of Elephas (Loxo- 

 don) priscus and E. (Lox.) meridionalis ; he also begins the description 

 of E. (Euelephas) primigenius, but the memoir is, unhappily, wanting 

 in the remainder of the description of this species, as well as in the 

 description of E. (Euelephas) antiquus, and in the general conclusions 

 at which the author had doubtless arrived. These lacunas are unfor- 

 tunately the most important portions to English geologists, so that in 

 this posthumous fragment we really have a kind of Pachydermatous 

 " Hamlet " — without the prince. 



