246 GEOLOGY. 



remains of P. occidentals, which was about two-thirds as large, 

 are the most abundant. P. gracilis, a still smaller species, was about 

 as large as a sheep. I have found the remains of another species 

 most nearly related to P. robustus, and if it proves to be distinct* 

 will call it P. Nebraskensis. Another species, whose remains Hay- 

 den found on the Niobrara, Leidy has called Homocamelus caninus. 

 It was remarkable, among other things, for the narrow snout-like 

 prolongation of the fore part of the face. The palate was more 

 deeply vaulted than in the camel. The caniniform incisor, the 

 canine and first premolar were all separated from each other, and 

 from the succeeding continuous row of premolars, and true molars 

 by wide arching intervals. The largest of all the family, whose 

 remains were found, Leidy has named Megalomeryx Niobrarensis, 

 from the locality where its remains were obtained. The molar 

 teeth had affinities to those of the llama and sheep. It was proba- 

 bly about one-fourth larger than the modern camel. A still more 

 curious, comprehensive, camel-like animal, described by Leidy, was 

 Merycodus necatus. Its molar teeth combined the characters found 

 in the sheep, camel, and deer. It was about as large as the latter 

 animal. 



Bisons already existed in the Pliocene epoch in Nebraska. The 

 progenitors of our buffalo probably then existed in the forms which 

 Marsh has described under the names of Bison ferox and Bison 

 Alleni. 



A species which Leidy has described, under the name of Lep- 

 tarctus primus, was a bear-like animal, closely allied to, and about 

 the size of the existing Coati of South America. 



The cat family {Feiida>) had fewer representatives than in the 

 preceding Miocene. yElurodon ferox was slightly larger than the 

 largest American wolves. One of its sectorial molars, according 

 to Leidy, was intermediate in character between that of the wolves 

 and the cats. "It approached in size the similar molar of a small 

 Bengal tiger. It had the proportion of the similar molar of the 

 wolves, and in addition the anterior accessory lobe of the cats." — 

 (Leidy.) The most characteristic, however, of these cats of the 

 Pliocene, was PseiKhclurus intrepidus. The first species was found 

 and described from the Miocene of France by M. Gervais. It was 

 somewhat remarkable that another species should be found in the 

 Pliocene of Nebraska. The jaw of this species was intermediate 

 in character between that of the panther and lynx. The jaws and 



