Wortman — Studies of Eocene Mammalia, etc. 437 



Art. XXX VI. — Studies of Eocene Mammalia in the Marsh 

 Collection, Peabody Museum ; by J. L. Wortman. With 

 Plate VI. 



[Continued from page 348.] 



Pelvis and Rind Limb. — The pelvis is somewhat frag- 

 mentary and displays the character of the pelvic girdle in 

 but an imperfect manner. An ischium and an anterior por- 

 tion of an ilium are all that remain of it. The ischium 

 is relatively much longer and more slender than that of 

 either the ichneumon or fox and in this respect resembles 

 Cynodictis. The ischial tuberosities are only slightly devel- 

 oped as in the civets and quite lack that broad characteristic 

 expansion of the modern Canids. The obturator foramen was 

 apparently longer than in either the fox or ichneumon and 

 extended well forwards beneath the acetabulum as in the dogs, 

 differing in this respect from the ichneumon, in which it is 

 more posterior. The cotyloid notch of the acetabulum is wide 

 as it is in both the viverrines and Canids. Only the anterior 

 part of the ilium is preserved, and this, like that in Cynodictis, 

 exhibits a narrow dorsal depression and a wider ventral con- 

 cavity separated by a longitudinal ridge. 



The femur, figure 7, has many peculiarities of its own, but on 

 the whole it may be said to be much more dog-like than civet- 

 like. The shaft is well rounded and has a slight backward curva- 

 ture as in all the Canids and not perfectly straight as it is in the 

 carnivorous civets in general. Of the proximal extremity the 

 head is hemispherical and set upon the shaft by a rather short 

 thick neck. The greater trochanter rises above the head and 

 is of considerable fore and aft extent ; the digital fossa is deep 

 and roomy. The lesser trochanter is proportionally very large 

 and placed upon the inner border of the shaft just below the 

 head. According to Scott's description of Cynodictis, it is 

 smaller and more external in this form. There is a distinct 

 intertrochanteric line and a moderately well-developed third 

 trochanter. The distal end of the bone exhibits well-devel- 

 oped condyles with the rotular groove, passing well up on the 

 anterior border. The intercondylar notch is deep and the con- 

 dyles project well backwards behind the axis of the shaft. 



The tibia, figure 8, is a little shorter than the femur ; the shaft 

 is somewhat flattened in the proximal half of its extent and the 

 cnemial crest is prolonged downwards, occupying quite one-third 

 of the entire surface of the bone. This is in marked contrast 

 with its shortness in the modern Canidse. The head is relatively 

 broad and overhangs the vertical axis of the shaft to a marked 

 extent, the double tibial spine being rather indistinct. The 

 lower portion of the shaft is subround in cross-section and dis- 



