390 NOTES OX THE CANTD.E OF THE WHITE KTVER OLIGOCENE. 



Ganis, and its anterior border is notched by the obturator sulcus. The acetabulum is 

 small, deep and nearly circular. 



The anterior or descending ramus of the pubis is long and slender and encloses with 

 its fellow a broad anterior pelvic opening. The horizontal ramus is proportionately 

 longer and stouter and the symphysis is longer than in the recent dogs, almost as long as 

 in the cats. The horizontal ramus is less flattened and depressed than in the former, 

 forming a prominent ridge along the ventral side of the symphysis. 



The os penis may be conveniently described in connection with the pelvis. In none 

 of the White River specimens that have fallen under my observation is this bone pre- 

 served, but in the beautiful specimen of C. geismarianus figured by Cope ('85, PI. 

 LXX) it is present and in nearly its natural position, though Cope has omitted any 

 mention of it in his description. Flower ('69) has pointed out the characteristics of this 

 bone in the three sections into which he divides the fissipede carnivores. The Arctoidea 

 "all have a large penis with a very considerable bone, which is usually more or less 

 curved, somewhat compressed, not grooved, dilated posteriorly and often bifurcated or 

 rather bilobed in front" (p. 14). The cat- and viverrines " all have a comparatively 

 small penis, with a more or less conical termination, and of which the bone is small, 

 irregular in shape, or not unfrecpiently altogether warning " (p. 22). To this statement 

 Oryptoprocta forms an exception, having a bone relatively long, " slender, compressed, 

 slightly curved, not grooved or divided anteriorly, rounded and slightly dilated at each 

 end, but thickest posteriorly" (p. 23). In the hyaenas the bone is wanting. The dogs 

 resemble the raccoons, weasels, etc., in having a large os penis, "though the os is of a 

 different form, being straight, wide, depressed and grooved" (p. 26). In Gynodictis this 

 bone is entirely different from that of the modern Canidce; it is long, slender, compressed 

 laterally and strongly curved and is slightly grooved upon the sides, lint not on the dorsal 

 border; the anterior end is so broken that the presence or absence of a bilobation cannot 

 lie determined. The resemblance in the character of the os penis between Gynodictis, 

 on the one hand, and Gryptoprocta and the mustelines, on the other, is an important fact, 

 the significance of which will be discussed late]-. 



The bones of the hind limb proper considerably exceed in length those of the fore 

 limb, more so than in Ganis, though the difference is rather between the proportions of 

 the radius and tibia than between those of the humerus and femur. 



The femur is slender and quite elongate and in essentials differs but little from that 

 of Ganis. The head is small, of hemispherical shape, and is set upon a somewhat longer 

 and more distinct neck than in the modern genus, projecting more directly inward and 

 less upward : the pit for the round ligament is deeply impressed but very small. The 

 great trochanter is lower than in Ganis and is separated from the head by a narrower. 



