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ON THE FOSSIL CAMEL 



The fossil ramus has more the form of that of the Ox than of the 

 Camel ; the slenderiiess of its proportions resembles that of the Cervidee 

 ' more than of the Camelidae to which it belongs : and were it not for the 

 heel or step on the posterior ascending margin which as the generic mark 

 establishes its position, we should have been at some loss in recognizing as 

 the remain of a Camel, a fragment bearing in its external appearance so 

 strong a resemblance to the Ox, Deer or Antelope. Independent of the 

 heel, the Camel now existing, is rather peculiarly formed in this part 

 in comparison with other Ruminants. The Buffalo is that which has the 

 nearest approach to it. In the existing Camel, the ascending branch rises 

 at nearly a right angle from the line of jaw ; it has considerable breadth on 

 its antero-posterior dimension, and its coronoid process is short, straight 

 and massive. In the fossil Camel the ascending branch is as oblique 

 as in the Ox ; it has no excess of breadth on its antero-posterior dimen- 

 sion, and its coronoid process is long, slightly curved back, and slender. 

 Here are points of difference sufficiently striking — but there is a still 

 further difference in the form of the condyle — that of the fossil having 

 a much longer transverse diameter than in the existing Camel ; — its pro- 

 portions are much more slender, and the depression on its upper margin 

 much deeper. We may remark however that the slenderness of the fossil 

 condyle is only comparative, with reference to that of the same genus now 

 existing, and that it bears no resemblance whatever to the condyle of either 

 the Buffalo, Ox, or other Ruminants. The condyles of the two former 

 are much slighter and the upper articulating surface much narrower than 

 in the Camel. 



On the peculiarity of form above described as appertaining to the 

 ramus of the lower jav/, we are naturally struck by the close resemblance it 

 bears to that of the horned Ruminants, and its marked variation from the same 

 bone belonging to the Camel of the present day : and we should be inclined to 

 refer to the extreme length of the coronoid process as a point tending in all 

 probability to unravel the mystery, were we not struck with the discre- 



