ON THE BONES OF THE MASTODON. 339 



These are some of the objections which I stated to M. Adrien. 

 Camper, and which induced hitn to re-examine this specimen ; 

 which led to the discovery of new proofs, which at once convinced 

 my learned friend, 1st, On clearing off the clay which still adhered to 

 the fragment, he laid bare the palatine sutures, which had escaped the 

 observation of his father ; 2nd, he discovered the three spheno pala- 

 tines F F, fig. 1, and the division of their canal in the holes G H, &c. fig. 

 2, for conducting the nerve to the palate, &c. 



It was impossible that indications like these could be delusive; and 

 the discovery of a skull with its snout, made soon after by Mr, Peale, 

 confirmed our conclusions on the subject. 



But this first specimen was in itself sufficient to put us in possession 

 of the following characters of the mastodon : — 



1st. Its jaw bones diverge in front, while those of the common ele- 

 phant are more or less converging ; and those of the fossil elephant 

 or Russian mammoth are almost parallel. The young pig and the hip- 

 popotamus alone approach the mastodon a little in this particular. 



2nd. Its osseous palate extends far beyond the last tooth : the pha- 

 cochera, or wild boar of Ethiopia, is the only herbivorous animal 

 which approximates to it in this particular, 



3rd. The pterygoid apophyses of the palatine bones have a thickness 

 unexampled among quadrupeds. 



4th. The slope in front of this apophyses bears some affinity to that 

 of the hippopotamus ; which is, nevertheless, much narrower, &c. 

 The more perfect skull of Mr. Peale furnishes us with some other 

 characters. 



5th. Mr. Rembrandt Peale tells us that no traces of an orbit are per- 

 ceptible at the anterior part of the arcade, which must have placed the 

 eye much higher than in the elephant. 



6th. The maxillary bones, as may be observed in our plate 23, fig. 1, 

 liave much less vertical elevation than in the elephant, and bear a greater 

 resemblance to those of ordinary animals. 



7th, For the same reason, the zygomatic arch is less elevated, espe- 

 cially behind, thereby corresponding with the form of the lower jaw. 

 The position of ihe ear depends on that of the arch, 



8th. This proportion has a direct influence on the position of the 

 occipital condyles. In the elephant they are very much elevated 

 above the level of the palate, while in the mastodon they are at that 

 level. 



9th. With respect to the great cells which communicate such a 

 thickness to the skull of the elephant, separating its two plates and 

 forming the entire prolongation of the diflferent sinuses of the nose, 

 they seem to be precisely similar in the mastodon. This is illustrated 

 by all the figures of our plate 20. 



It is impossible to determine with accuracy the precise elevation of 

 the summit of the head, as this part is defective in the skeleton of Mr, 

 Peale. But its weight, with that of the jaw bones, and especially that 

 of the tusks, do not leave room for doubting that the occiput was very 

 much elevated, in order to afford sufficient play to the elevating 

 muscles ; consequently, the mastodon must in this particular have 

 borne a great resemblance to the elephant. 



