544 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
manatees. The skull slopes forward and upward, and is flattened. The uppei 
jaw contains four incisors and seven molars; the lower jaw, six incisors, six 
molars and two canines; the molar teeth are rootless and exhibit the power of 
continuous growth. The trunk and limbs are like those of the elephant and 
of hoofed-animals. The shoulder blade is like a tapir’s, and the bone of the 
upper part of the arm like that of the rhinoceros; the foot resembles most nearly 
that of an elephant. The toxodon has been discovered only in pieces, and some 
of his members are still missing, but as the naturalist was able to reconstruct 
the fish from a single scale, so he has filled out in plaster what would seem 
to be the necessary substitutes for the missing parts. To go into a large and 
carefully arranged museum (of which we have several in this country, as that 
in New York or the one in Boston), is interesting only to one who brings with 
himself knowledge enough to cause him to take an active and intelligent interest. 
Doubtless many a one has, like myself, in my earlier days, stared ignorantly 
at the re¬ 
in ai n s of 
the mega¬ 
therium or 
of the mas¬ 
todon, and 
wondered 
what possi¬ 
ble obj ect 
there could 
be for such 
e x p e n di- 
ture of time, 
labor and 
money. But 
once get the 
idea of the 
evolution, 
skeleton oe the phenacodus prim^evus. progres¬ 
sion, and 
precession of animal life, and all that is changed. It is my hope to make only 
such mention of extinct forms as shall illustrate the principle of modem scientific 
investigation, and possibly to induce the reader to make real the illustrations by 
visits to museums, where the representative types can be found. Who, in a tour 
of observation, ever realizes the wealth of enjoyment, information and stimulus 
which can be derived from the museums of our great cities ? Rather, do not most 
travellers go through these repositories with even greater weariness and ignorance 
than they do the art galleries ? Does the typical traveller (and the Americans are 
a nation of travellers) ever think of concerning himself deeply about museums 
of natural history, academies of fine arts, the great organized industries of manu¬ 
facture and commerce, or the libraries whose shelves contain wonders to them 
unknown ? Or does he return with nothing better than a hasty view at parks, 
buildings and cemeteries; or than a knowledge of the superficial differences in 
dress, and furniture and viands ? When Addison visited Italy he took with him 
knowledge only of such scenes and objects as the poets had touched upon, and 
