152 
Records of the Geological Survey of India. 
[voL. ix. 
characters. The astragalus of Meryeopotamus is distinguished from that of Sits by its 
greater proportionate length, and by the articular surfaces for the navicular and cuboid being 
of nearly the same width, instead of that for the cuboid being only one-half the width of 
that for the navicular : further, the trochlear surfaces for the tibia are of nearly equal height 
in Sus. The great proportionate length of the astragalus of Meryeopotamus is a character 
which it has in common with that of the Actiodactyle Auuplotherium. Below, the admea- 
surements of the astragali of Hippopotamus sivulensis, Marycopulamus dissimilis, and Sus 
scrofa are compared :— 
Hippo. 
Meryco. 
Sus. 
In. 
In. 
In. 
Extreme length 
... 39 
2*25 
1-75 
Width across tibial trochleas ... 
... 2-35 
10 
09 
Width across distal extremity 
... 235 
I'25 
10 
Width of euboidal articular facet ... 
... 1*35 
0*60 
035 
Width ot navicular articular facet ... 
... 1*5 
0‘G6 
0*65 
Length of calcaneal trochlea 
... 2-45 
1-35 
0*95 
Width of ditto 
... 1-95 
0 75 
0'65 
The astragalus of A nthranothervurn has 
the facets for the 
cuboid 
and navicular of 
unequal size, as in Sus, and is therefore at once 
distinguished from that of 
Meryco'potamus. 
Falconer once considered the two genera identical. 
Citlcauev.ru. —The calcaneuin, as appears from Falconer’s figures, appears to be of exactly 
the same form as the corresponding bone of Hippopotamus. It is distinguished from the 
calcaneum of Sus by its anterior surface being broader, and the whole shaft stouter, by the 
surface for the attachment of the tendo ochillcs being excavated in the antero-posterior line, 
instead of being convex, and by the facet for the articulation of the saddle-shaped trochlea of 
the astragalus being placed more obliquely. The length of the bone is T8 inches, and the 
width of the surface for the astragalus 2-3 inches. 
JSIetacarval. —The metacarpals are only known to me from the distal extremity of one 
of the middle bones brought by Mr. Fedden from Sind; the form of the fragment is essen¬ 
tially Hippopotamirie and not Seine. The articular surface forms three-fourths of a cylin¬ 
der ; on the anterior surface there is no ridge on this cylinder, hut on the posterior surface 
there is a marked ridge dividing the cylinder into two nearly equal portions ; the shaft of 
the bone is nearly as thick as the cylinder. In the sub-equality of the portions of the cylin¬ 
der on either side of the ridge, and in the limitation of the latter to the posterior surface, 
the bone agrees with the metacarpal of Hippopotamus. In Sus the ridge extends com¬ 
pletely round the articular cylinder, and it is placed very much nearer to the median line of 
the foot, rendering'the two articular surfaces very unequal. From the small extent of the 
ridge on the metacarpal of Meryeupotamus, the first phalange of the digits lias no distinct 
groove on its proximal surface : from the nearly median position of the ridge on the metacar¬ 
pal, the foot must have been less symmetrical in relation to a line separating the third and 
fourth digits than in Hippopotamus and Sus; the general form of the metacarpal is very 
similar to the corresponding bone of AnUiracutherium; width of distal extremity 0'(55 
inches. 
First, phalange. —Qi the second phalange of the third or fourth digits we have several 
specimens in the Indian Museum : the bone is similar in shape to the corresponding bone of 
Hippopotamus, having the superior surface wide transversely, and hollowed, with pro¬ 
minent ridges on the fore-and-aft border; there is a very slight ridge running antero- 
posteriorly across the middle of the same surface. The anterior surface of the bone is 
rounded, and the posterior flat: the distal extremity presents a simple trochlea hollowed in 
the middle line, and extending further up on the posterior surface than on the anterior 
