126 Wortman — Studies of Eocene Mammalia in the 



(29) " calcaneo-cuboidal facet very 

 oblique ;" 



(30) ' ' large astragulo-cuboidal 

 facets ;" 



(31) ' ' external calcaneal tubercle large 

 (as in many Creodonts and Am- 

 blypods)." 



(29) Not known in all species of Lim- 

 noeyon, but probably character- 

 istic of the family and special- 

 ized. 



(30) True of nearly all Creodonts. 



(31) Should have been stated all Creo- 

 donts known. 



It will thus be seen that these characters are for the most 

 part true only of the single genus Patriofelis and cannot be 

 applied to the entire family. 



I pass next to a consideration of the probable habits of 

 Patriofelis, and for the sake of putting the matter clearly I 

 quote my original conclusion, which was as follows : " From 

 the structure of the limbs more than any other feature in the 

 osteology of Patriofelis, I am led to conclude that it was 

 aquatic or semi-aquatic in habits. The broad, flat, plantigrade 

 feet, with their spreading toes, suggest at the first glance their 

 use for swimming." The opposite view as stated by Osborn 

 is as follows : " In this connection a careful restudy of all the 

 evidence led the writer to the opposite conclusion^ that these 

 were powerful terrestrial, or partly arboreal, animals, analo- 

 gous to the Cats in habits of feeding, with analogous (not homo- 

 logous) sectorials, clumsy in limb structure, without prehensile 

 claws, and presenting no evidence of successors among the 

 modern Carnivora." 



As regards the view that these animals were arboreal or 

 partly so, I have little comment to make ; it is to my mind, 

 however, so extremely improbable, if not impossible, that I 

 hesitate to give it serious consideration. Its fallacy, it seems 

 to me, is clearly evident when it is remembered that among the 

 living Carnivora the habitual climbers are almost without 

 exception light, agile, sharp-clawed species, capable of suffi- 

 ciently swift movement to capture arboreal prey. A heavy, 

 clumsy, blunt-clawed type like Patriofelis would be as much 

 out of place in the trees as could well be imagined. We thus 

 limit the question either to an aquatic manner of life or a 

 terrestrial one or both, since there is no evidence that the 

 animal had fossorial habits. 



Any conclusion we may reach must take into consideration 

 and accommodate itself to the following facts : (1) That what- 

 ever constituted the chief food supply of the animal was of 

 such a nature as to cause unusual wear of the teeth, since in 

 almost every known specimen that had reached maturity, the 

 teeth are much worn ; (2) that the animal was strictly carnivo- 

 rous ; (3) that its prey, whatever it may have been, was evidently 

 not swift and active, otherwise it could have easily escaped so 

 awkward and clumsy a creature ; (4) that the manner of cap- 



