92 
ORIGINAL ARTICLES. 
yation in the account given by Tilesius, which divest it of authority. 
He describes the neck as being built up of six cervical vertebrae: 
“ Collum ex 6 vertebris compressis et coarctatis compositum.” The 
seventh, he appears to have transferred to the dorsal series. In the 
large and finely engraved figure which he gives of the skeleton, PL 
X, 21 vertebrae are indicated by spinous processes, jointly to the 
loins and thorax, and 7 to the neck. Allowing three of these to be 
lumbar, 18 would be dorsal, as conjectured by Professor Schlegel. 
But grave imputations have recently been cast upon this celebrated 
skeleton that, like that of the Mastodon Ohioticus of the British 
Museum, it is a make-up, derived from more than one individual.* 
Prof. Piazzi Smyth examined it, in company with Prof. Brandt, and 
states, that the ribs and other parts are restorations made of deal. 
He sums up his account thus: “ The head with much of the skin 
“ hanging upon it, some cervical vertebrse, a whole fore leg, and more 
“ than one foot are, we believe, the genuine Adams Mammoth.”! 
There is therefore, as yet, no trustworthy evidence to show that 
the Mammoth had only eighteen dorsal vertebrse and ribs; every 
presumption is in favour of its having had at least nineteen. 
Next, as to the number of dorsal vertebrse, in the Indian Ele¬ 
phant.—Skeletons, reputed to be Indian, abound everywhere, but 
strange to say, authentic materials for settling this part of the ques¬ 
tion, are rare, in consequence of the particulars respecting their ori¬ 
gin not having been carefully recorded. Until lately, no one doubted 
that they all belonged to the same species, and the precise locality 
from which they came was considered to be unimportant. 
Prof. Schlegel states that the Sumatran Elephant has constantly 
20 dorsal vertebrse, and 20 pairs of ribs. That this number does 
occur in the Ceylon animal also, is placed beyond question by the 
careful dissection of a great anatomist, Peter Camper, J and by the 
observations of Cuvier and Blainville, upon the skeletons of two 
known Ceylon Elephants brought from Holland to Paris in 1795. 
* The mounted ‘ Koch ’ skeleton in the National Collection, presents the fol¬ 
lowing vertebrse : 7 cervical, 19 dorsal, 4 himhar, 3 sacral, and 19 pairs of ribs. 
It was constructed according to this formula, but the careful observations of Dr. 
Warren, upon materials of well established authenticity, indicate the following 
numbers : 7 cervical, 20 dorsal, 3 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 20 pairs of ribs. (Warren, 
Op. citat. p. 25). The lumbar region appears to be built up of bones of different 
individuals. 
| “ Three Cities of Russia,” Yol. ii. p. 222. I am indebted to Dr. J. E. Gray for 
a knowledge of this passage ; but there are good grounds to believe that the 
statement is unintentionally overcharged by an astronomer, giving an opinion on a 
question of comparative anatomy. Eor Tilesius, whose account, however defective, 
shows no signs of partiality to Adams, but the reverse, enumerates the parts that 
have been restored in wood and gypsum ; and, as regards the vertebrse, he writes : 
“ Vertebrae omnes genuinae osseae, ideoque cartilagine exsiccato inter omnem verte- 
bram instructae, robustiores Elephantinis.” (Op. citat. p. 504). The vertebrae, 
excepting those of the tail, were less liable to be separated than any other part of 
the skeleton. 
X ‘ Anat. d’un Elephant Male,’ p. 63. 
