longer retained the mainland climatic conditions, since oil our 
fauna shows specific or varietal modifications. In the creation of 
a new species of Xototlierium lliis last factor weighed heavily witn 
me. since, in addition to the structural data supplied by a study 
of the Smithton remains, 1 was dealing with a creature coming 
from a province that has been abundantly proved to be an area 
of isolation during a considerable period of time, and not with a 
merely roaming animal, moving from one part of a vast continent 
to another. These Xototheria, over specialised and largely 
doomed upon the mainland, avoided immediate extinction ln- 
migration into Tasmania, and the geographical and climatological 
changes thus induced manifested themselves in the direction 
zoological science accepts as specific departure. Personally. I 
claim that here the Xototheria remained, living under the more 
favourable conditions supplied by this isolated province until long 
after their extinction upon the mainland, and thus acquired the 
taxonomic distinction manifested by all our native animals. Dr. 
Xoetling objects that since the Tasmanian natives knew nothing 
of these animals, they could not have survived down to the human 
period. Put as the whole of our information respecting the 
personal knowledge of the lost Tasmanian race is so meagre, this 
objection can hardly hold good, especially as the knowledge of 
the survival of the (ilossotlierinm to the human period in South 
America only dates from 190 2, in spite of our long and extensive 
knowledge of the South American races generally. 
C( )M PARAT 1 \ K OSTPOLCKiY. 
Among other elements, the King Island Xotothcrium sup¬ 
plied the right caleaneum and astragalus, and as the left cal- 
caneum and astragalus are present in the Tasmanian specimen, an 
interesting study of the little known subject of the feet of these 
gigantic creatures is thus supplied. Space forbids the inclusion 
of my notes upon these heel and ankle elements into the present 
text. 
P( )SK. 
The articular facets and the smooth shafts of the femora oi 
the Xototheria suggest that the hind legs of the creatures were 
capable of such flexion at the knees as would bring these hones 
to an angle of at least 70 degrees, although less was perhaps the 
normal position. Xo especial strength was centred J11 the hind¬ 
quarters, as obtained in the ground sloths, hut the freely rotating 
forearm and drag-liook like tusks were evidently correlated 
factors in the search for lood. 
