ACCOUNT OF THE TOXODON 
1837-38 
119 
R. discussed with the Prince the paper His High- 
ness wrote for the Royal Society, and which R. 
has had to judge. The Prince departed in high 
good-humour.’ 
In 1838 Owen wrote a paper, which was the 
nucleus of his great work on teeth the Odonto- 
graphy.’ This paper was entitled: ‘On the 
Structure of Teeth, and the Resemblance of 
Ivory to Bone, as illustrated by the Microscopical 
Examination of the Teeth of Men and of various 
Existing and Extinct Animals.’ (‘ Report of the 
British Association, 1838.’) 
Amongst the descriptions which Owen made 
of the fossil mammalia collected by Darwin in 
the voyage of the ‘ Beagle may be mentioned that 
of the Toxodon skull. The toxodon was a gigantic 
extinct mammal, presenting great peculiarities 
and having points in common with various orders 
of Mammalia. 
The following account of the toxodon in the 
autograph of Charles Darwin was found amongst 
Owen’s papers, from which an extract is now 
given : — 
‘ The head was found embedded in whitish 
earthy clay on the banks of a small stream which 
enters the Rio Negro, and is situated 120 miles 
to the N.W. of Monte Video. The head had 
been kept for a short time in a neighbouring 
farm-house as a curiosity, but when I arrived it 
was lying in the yard. I bought it for the value 
