1 873.] The Kent's Hole Machairodus. 223 



claws ; and these excite astonishment by their size and 

 solidity, especially on the inner toes of the fore paws. Even 

 the same bones in Felts spelcea, as figured by Schmerling, 

 are only a little longer, whilst the toes are much larger. 



The shortening of the fore-limbs is much greater than 

 that of the hinder. From the size of the scapula, the arm 

 and hand of the Machairodus might have been expected to 

 exceed those of the tiger, especially as the upper arm is 

 much longer and thicker ; but whilst the living tiger has a 

 shorter shoulder-blade and a shorter upper arm, it has a 

 longer fore-arm and paw, and the bones are much thinner 

 than those of Machairodus neogaeus ; hence, the strength 

 of the animal is much less. The tiger is quicker and more 

 versatile, but his power of beating down and grasping his 

 prey is certainly less than that of Machairodus was. 



Though in the hind limbs the difference is less marked, 

 the lower leg was 5*12 inches shorter than the thigh, whilst 

 in the tiger the difference is but 1*47 inches. The foot, 

 notwithstanding, is almost of equal length in the two 

 animals, and the heel of Machairodus was even longer than 

 that of the tiger, thus proving the greater power of the 

 former in its hinder extremities also. 



There is no further difference between the number, position, 

 and size of the hand and ankles of Machairodus and those 

 of the living Felidce than that all the small bones of the 

 former are much stronger. It is the same with the bones 

 of the toes, which, and especially those of the thumb of 

 the fore-paw, are of extraordinary solidity and size.* 



Palaeontologists are at present acquainted with the follow- 

 ing species of the genus Machairodus : — 



M. cidtridens, found in Italy, Germany, and France. 



M. latidens, ,, ,, England and France. 



M. palmidens,f ,, ,, France. 



M. sivalensis, ,, ,, India. 



M. neogaeus, ,, ,, Brazil and Buenos Ayres. 



* See Bericht iiber ein Skelet von Machcerodus, im Staats-Museum, zu 

 Buenos Aires, von Dr. Herm. Burmeister. Halle: Druck und Verlag von 

 H. W. Schmidt. 1867. 



f See Gervais, op. cit., p. 231. 



