224 
BRITISH FOSSIL ELEPHANTS. 
direction; whereas, in both Mr. Johnson’s and Mr. Backhouse’s specimens the former is 
absent, and the shaft is more round, especially about its middle. 
The fragment (No. 288 of the Gunn Collection) from the Forest Bed at Walcot, 
Bacton, described by Falconer, 1 has the head and great trochanter wanting. The distal 
extremity, although not entire, and the remainder of the shaft, give a length of 47 inches. 
The girth at midshaft is 20 inches, and the breadth at the point of union of the condyles 
is 14 inches. 
A ball of a femur from the beach of the Norfolk Coast, and No. 237 of the same 
collection, has a girth of 28 inches. 
The distal epiphysis (No. 236) from the above collection, and evidently that of a 
young animal, as the pitting along the surface for attachment indicates, is represented 
(PI. XXII, fig. 5) for the purpose of showing a more gaping intercondyloid fissure 
than any of the foregoing, or the Italian specimens figured by Cuvier. 3 Moreover, the 
trochlear depression of fig. 5 will be seen to be much shallower than that of the Mammoth 
(fig. 6), and the condyles do not converge. How far the discrepancies refer to a youthful 
condition of E. meridionalis or to another species is not easy to determine. That it should 
be referred to E. antiquus , according to the characters of the condyles from Walton , 8 is 
only in keeping with the appearance in them; but the peculiarity may be inconstant 
and of less value than a few instances appear to indicate; it is, however, worthy of 
notice. 
As to the dimensions of fig. 5. The inner condyle is 19 inches by tape in the antero¬ 
posterior direction, and 4 inches in breadth. The outer is 17 by 4'5 inches, in breadth; 
the patellar sulcus 9'5 inches in breadth by tape. 
12. TIBIA. 
The tibia should furnish valuable diagnostic characters, and, supposing the following 
do not show variability in individuals, there would seem to be some important differences 
between them and the bones I have referred to E. primigenius and E. antiquus,' more 
especially as regards the configuration of the articular surfaces and the prominence or 
otherwise of the shin. 
In Mr. Johnson s Collection there is an entire tibia, from Happisborotjgh, of the 
following dimensions: 
Length 24’5 inches. 5 
1 Op. cit., vol. ii, p. 144. 
2 ‘ Ossein. Fossil.,’ pis. xi, xiv, xvi. 
3 Page 62. 
4 Page 63 and 167. 
6 Nesti gives a tibia of 0'820 m., and Cuvier another Italian specimen of 0’825 m. (‘ Oss. Fossil.,’ vol. ii, 
p. 226, pi. xvi, fig. 12). 
