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been of the size of a common cow or of a small horse, he considered 
as being of a different species, and named it Palceotherium magnum. 
He found also several fragments, which enabled him to determine 
that these quarries contained also the remains of another animal of 
this genus, but which could not be larger than a fox, to which he gave 
the name of Palceotherium minus. 
It appears, therefore, that he discovered, and decidedly made out, 
four species of this genus : — P. magnum, P. medium, P. crassum, 
and P. minus. 
Proceeding in his inquiries, M. Cuvier obtained a very interesting 
specimen from the gypsum quarries, containing two bones of the meta- 
carpus (those of the index and medius) nearly entire ; an impression of 
that of the next, annulare ; and four bones of the carpus, semilunare, un- 
ciforme, the analogue of os magnum, here very small, and trapezoide. 
At first sight these bones appeared, in their general arrangement, as 
well as in their particular configuration, very much to resemble their 
analogues in the tapir. By the acuteness, however, of M. Cuvier, 
sufficient differences were discovered in their forms, to determine that 
they did not belong to that animal. He discovered that, in those few 
points in which they differed from the analogous bones of the tapir, 
they seemed to resemble those of the rhinoceros. On considering that 
the teeth of the palceotherium, in like manner, seemed to partake of 
the nature of each of those animals, but to approach nearest to that of 
the former, M. Cuvier observes — “ One must be stricken with increased 
admiration at the unalterable constancy in the natural agreements of 
animals, even in the minutest details.” From this correspondence he 
was able determine that these remains must have belonged to some 
animal of the genus palceotherium ; and, from their size and propor- 
tions, to that species to which the designation medium appeared to 
belong. In another specimen he found some metacarpal remains, 
which, on account of their shortness and thickness, he had no doubt 
of their belonging to that species which he had named P. crassum. 
