AMPHICYON. 



373 



shews the dentition of the under jaw of another species 

 of the same genns from miocene beds at Debruge and Alais, 

 France. The carnassial teeth (m, h 2, 3), instead of being one 

 in number in each ramns of the jaw, as in modern Felines, 

 were three in number, equally adapted, by their trenchant 

 shape, to work like scissor-blades on the teeth of the upper 

 jaw, in the act of cutting flesh. After the small incisors came 

 a pair of large piercing and prehensile canines (c), followed 

 by four compressed pointed and trenchant premolars (jp 1, 2, 3, 4) 

 in each side of the jaw ; the whole of this carnivorous denti- 

 tion conforming to the diphyodont type : — 



• 3-3 1-1 



1 3-3' G 1-1' 



Pa ™S = 44. 



Genus Amphicyon. — With the foregoing predecessor of the 

 digitigrade Carnivora was associated a forerunner of the plan- 

 tigrade family, 

 viz., a large ex- 

 tinct species, 

 having the mo- 

 lars tuberculated 

 after the pattern 

 of those of the 

 bears ; but re- 

 taining, like Hy- 

 amodon, the per- 

 fect type of diphyodont dentition. Fig. 133 shews the teeth 

 of one side of the upper jaw of the Amphicyon giganteus. 

 The first and second molars (m, 1 and 2) have each two 

 tubercles on the outer side and one on the inner side ; the 

 last tubercular molar (m, 3) is of very small size. Fossil re- 

 mains of Amphicyon have been found principally in the mio- 

 cene deposits at Sansans, south of France. Those of a smaller 

 species from the miocene at Eppelsheim, have been referred 

 to the wolverine genus, as Gulo dicvphorus, Kaup. 



Fig. 133. 

 Dentition, upper jaw, of Amphicyon. 



