OST THE BONES OF THE HIPPOPOTAMUS. 395 



A petrified tooth, quite similar to that of Aldrovandus, and conse- 

 quently also belonging to the hippopotamus, is represented in the 

 Museum Beslerianum (plate 31), under the simple denomination of 

 dens maxillaris lapideus (petrified jaw tooth). 



Hence, the specimens I here allude to were presented by Aldrovandus 

 and fresher, without their being able to apply to them their proper 

 designation. Camper, iNlerk, Davila, Lang, Faujas, Lametherie, and, 

 in some instances, Daubenton, have applied that designation to objects 

 to which it did not belong. Antoine de Jussieu and Daubenton, in 

 his numbers mcii and mciv, are the only two possessing the double 

 merit of presenting us with genuine specimens, and of .annexing proper 

 designations to them. 



Having thus taken a survey of the labours of my predecessors, I 

 shall proceed to detail the result of my own observations. 



Article I. 

 On the Great Fossil Hippopotamus. • 



I. Of the Places where it has been found. 



The first pieces which led to my knowledge of the existence of the 

 fossil bones of the hippopotamus, were those just mentioned, belonging 

 to the Museum, and pointed out by Daubenton under the numbers 

 mcii and mciv. 



I have given a drawing of the first, plate 33, fig. 1. It is a portion 

 of the lower jaw of the right side, containing two grinders, the last 

 but. one and the last but two. From the imperfect growth of the last 

 grinder but one, it has been surmised that the last of all had not 

 emerged. The last but two is much more worn than the other. In 

 front of these two teeth is the socket of a third, some fragments of the 

 root of which are all that remain of it. The lower edge is broken 

 along the whole length of the specimen. The large tooth is 0,05, and 

 the smaller 0,035 iu length. The breadth of both is from 0,025 to 

 0,027. The corresponding teeth of the common hippopotamus are 

 0,005 more; that is to say, they are one tenth longer. The enamel 

 is of a blackish dye : the osseous substance and the maxillary bone is 

 of a deep brown colour. 



The second specimen (plate 33, fig. 2) is a last but one upper molar 

 in a medium state of detrition : besides its having become somewhat 

 friable by its stay in the earth, it has been rolled about, and all its 

 shapes have become rounded : the roots are broken : its enamel is 

 yellow, and has not the black dye of the previous specimen. From 

 these circumstances we may feel inclined to doubt of their having 

 come from the same place, and the conjecture I threw out with regard 

 to their origin may only hold true in the instance of one of them. 



The third fossil specimen of the great hippopotamus which has 

 come under my observation, is from the Museum of the late Joubert 

 at present in that of M. de Dree. I have given a drawing of it (plate 

 32, fig. 2). It equals the size of those of the most common li 

 animals. It is the fragment of an upper jaw, containing two teet 

 that precise state of detrition in which they are most easily di 



