﻿N 
  

  

  0. 
  C. 
  Marsh 
  — 
  The 
  Stylinodontia. 
  137 
  

  

  Akt. 
  XT. 
  — 
  The 
  Stylinodontia, 
  a 
  Suborder 
  of 
  Eocene 
  

   Edentates; 
  by 
  O. 
  C. 
  Marsh. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  1873, 
  the 
  writer 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  Eocene 
  

   deposits 
  of 
  Wyoming 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  an 
  extinct 
  mammal 
  of 
  

   great 
  interest. 
  The 
  most 
  striking 
  feature 
  was 
  the 
  lower 
  molar 
  

   teeth, 
  all 
  essentially 
  alike, 
  and 
  inserted 
  in 
  deep 
  sockets. 
  They 
  

   were 
  nearly 
  cylindrical 
  in 
  form, 
  and 
  all 
  grew 
  from 
  persistent 
  

   pulps. 
  The 
  outer 
  and 
  inner 
  faces 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  a 
  thin 
  

   layer 
  of 
  enamel. 
  This 
  type 
  specimen 
  was 
  described 
  by 
  the 
  

   writer, 
  in 
  this 
  Journal, 
  vol. 
  vii, 
  p. 
  532, 
  May, 
  1874, 
  under 
  the 
  

   name 
  Stylinodon 
  minis, 
  as 
  representing 
  a 
  new 
  genus 
  and 
  

   species. 
  The 
  affinities 
  of 
  this 
  new 
  form, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  then 
  deter- 
  

   mined, 
  were 
  recorded 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  These 
  specimens 
  resemble 
  in 
  some 
  respects 
  the 
  correspond- 
  

   ing 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Toxodon 
  Owen, 
  from 
  the 
  Quaternary 
  

   of 
  South 
  America 
  ; 
  but 
  may, 
  perhaps, 
  have 
  some 
  more 
  affinities 
  

   with 
  the 
  Edentates." 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  subsequently 
  made 
  this 
  new 
  form 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  a 
  

   distinct 
  family, 
  the 
  Stylinodontidce, 
  and 
  placed 
  it 
  under 
  the 
  

   order 
  Tillodontia 
  (this 
  Journal, 
  vol. 
  ix, 
  p. 
  221, 
  March, 
  1875), 
  

   and 
  this 
  reference, 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  suggestion 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  

   affinities 
  with 
  the 
  Edentates, 
  has 
  been 
  generally 
  followed. 
  

  

  Fragmentary 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Stylinodon 
  were 
  subse- 
  

   quently 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  in 
  essentially 
  

   the 
  same 
  horizon, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  threw 
  much 
  additional 
  

   light 
  on 
  the 
  affinities 
  of 
  this 
  peculiar 
  form. 
  A 
  fortunate 
  dis- 
  

   covery, 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1882, 
  at 
  a 
  new 
  locality, 
  was 
  a 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  skull 
  and 
  skeleton 
  of 
  a 
  second 
  specimen 
  

   apparently 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  and 
  this 
  material 
  seemed 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  determine 
  definitely 
  the 
  systematic 
  position 
  of 
  

   Stylinodon, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  specimen 
  could 
  be 
  fully 
  prepared 
  

   for 
  investigation. 
  Owing 
  to 
  a 
  pressure 
  of 
  other 
  work, 
  it 
  was 
  

   not 
  until 
  ten 
  years 
  later 
  that 
  this 
  specimen 
  was 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  

   artist, 
  and 
  careful 
  drawings 
  made, 
  when 
  the 
  Edentate 
  affinities 
  

   of 
  the 
  animal 
  became 
  more 
  strongly 
  apparent. 
  The 
  problem, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  simple 
  one, 
  and 
  the 
  relation 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  

   to 
  other 
  allied 
  forms 
  required 
  careful 
  consideration. 
  

  

  In 
  an 
  interesting 
  paper 
  recently 
  published, 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  L. 
  Wort- 
  

   man 
  discusses 
  the 
  affinities 
  of 
  this 
  family, 
  and 
  presents 
  an 
  argu- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  their 
  being 
  true 
  Edentates.* 
  This 
  announce- 
  

   ment 
  makes 
  it 
  more 
  important 
  that 
  the 
  type 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  

   genus 
  Stylinodon 
  be 
  figured, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  second 
  more 
  perfect 
  

   specimen 
  be 
  also 
  illustrated 
  and 
  described, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  main 
  

   object 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  communication. 
  

  

  * 
  Bulletin 
  American 
  Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  vol. 
  viii, 
  pp. 
  259-262, 
  1896. 
  

   Am. 
  Jour. 
  Scr.— 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  No. 
  14.— 
  February, 
  1897. 
  

   10 
  

  

  