146 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



saltpetre, a bone which, judging from its color, state of 

 preservation &c, must have been contemporaneously 

 buried with the above mentioned remains. It is a tube 

 of about seven inches, through which runs longitudi- 

 nally a cavernous septum, and bears suture-like marks 

 on its larger extremity of insertion into solid bone, and 

 has externally impressions of tendons, along its upper 

 and lower surface. 



If this belonged to the Megalonyx, then he must be 

 separated from the Meg atherium and the Megalonyx 

 laqueatus, because there seems to be no doubt that it 

 must have formed a kind of bony proboscis of an animal 

 approaching perhaps to the genera Myrmecophaga and 

 Manis ; but it requires more knowledge of comparative 

 anatomy than I possess, to decide this point ; I have 

 therefore sent it to my estimable friend, Dr. Richard 

 Harlan, whose attainments in that science are generally 

 known, and I hope that his skilful investigations may 

 serve to complete our knowledge of these rare remains.* 



J will next proceed to give the geognostical outline of 

 the vicinity in which the fossiliferous cave is situated, 

 and mention at the same time all that I have been able 

 to learn respecting the history of the discovery of the 

 fossil bones from the old settlers of that neighborhood. 

 (To be continued.) 



* This anomalous fossil bone, together with a claw, two dorsal vertebrae, and 

 the chief portion of the os ilium of the Megalonyx, from a cave in Tennessee, 

 have just come to hand; we have only time to remark at present, that the 

 bony tube, with cavernous septum above referred to, forms no part of a bony 

 proboscis of any animal, and most probably is no portion of the Megalonyx 

 skeleton ; it has no remaining portion of articulating surface, and in the present 

 «tage of the investigation it is impossible to recognize it with certainty. 



R. H. 



