164 



MEGATHERIUM. 



ft As to its place in the system of quadrupeds, it 

 is perfectly marked by the sole inspection of the 

 ordinary indicatory characters, that is, the claws 

 and teeth. These shew that it must be classed in 

 the family of unguiculated quadrupeds destitute 

 of cutting-teeth ; and, in fact, it has striking re- 

 lations with these animals in all parts of its body. 

 This family is composed of the Sloth (Bradypus), 

 Armadillo (Dasypus), Pangolin (Manis), Ant- 

 Eater (Myrmecophaga), and Orycteropus or Cape 

 Ant-Eater. 



" The great thickness of the branches of the 

 lower jaw, surpassing even that of the elephant, 

 seems to prove that the vast animal was not content 

 with leaves, but, like the elephant and rhinoceros, 

 broke and ground the branches themselves; its 

 close and flat-crowned teeth appearing very pro- 

 per for that purpose. The position of the bones 

 of the nose, having some analogy with that of the 

 elephant and tapir, would induce a suspicion that 

 our animal wore a trunk, but it must have been 

 very short, since the length of the head and neck 

 together equals that of the fore legs. However 

 this be, we find in the absence of canine-teeth, 

 and the shortness of the muzzle, sufficient cha- 

 racters to constitute a new genus in the family of 

 the edentated, which ought to be placed between 

 the Sloth and the Armadillo; since to the shape 

 of the head of the former, it joins the teeth of the 

 latter. It would be necessary to know particulars 

 of which a skeleton cannot inform us, such as the 

 nature of the teguments, the form of the tongue^ 



