borers), and still bearing the oysters that were attached to them.

The fossils of the gypsum and marine marls which cover it, are ; 1. In the gypseous mass; the palæotheriums, the anoplotheriums, the carnivorous and other mammiferous animals; birds of 3 or 4 species; a trionyx and other reptiles; a crocodile; fish, 3 or 4 species; and of the mollusca tribe, a cyclotomia mumia.

2. In the superior white marls. Palms, or other endogenites plants; remains of fish; limnea and planorbis freshwater shells.

3. In the marine formation; inner and outer casts of shells, the substance being generally wasted away; spirorbes; fish bone; cerithium plicatum.

4. Green marls. No fossils.

5. Yellow marls. Spines and palates of the ray; ampullaria patula ? cerithium plicatum, cinctum; cytherea elegans; cardium obliquum; nucula margaritacea.

6. Calcareous marls. Ostrea hippopus, pseudochama, longirostris, canalis, cochlearia, cyathula, spatulata, linguatula; balani; crabs' claws.

The gypsum formation of the Paris basin cannot be referred to any of the formations described by Werner or his disciples.

Having eliminated by a long and laborious analysis, the separate pieces of the skeletons of unknown animals, found in this bed of the Paris basin; and assigned them their respective places in the system agreeably to the laws of organic being, M. Cuvier commenced their synthesis, collating and combining the bones, so as to represent, not the whole carcass indeed, but the frame-work of the animal.

The Palæotherium minus had furnished the most complete assortment of bones; with it, therefore, he began, proceeding afterwards to the Palæotherium magnum, next to the Palæotherium crassum, and lastly to the medium. Of his other species, nothing but fragments have been hitherto found.

The skeleton of the palæotherium minus occurred in a complete state at Pantin, near Montmartre, imbedded in gypsum. The wood-cut represents the palæotherium magnum restored, from its scattered bones. Its height was four feet and a half, about the size of the rhinoceros of Java. Lower than a great horse, it was also thicker, with a head more massive, shorter and stronger limbs. An almost entire skull of this animal was eventually found by M. Cuvier, which he regards with justice as one of the most interesting relics of the ancient world, since it enables him to confirm all his previous conjectures about its organization and habits. This skull equals in size that of the largest horses. The external opening of the nostrils was oblique and very long; surrounded by three pairs of bones, the intermaxillary, the maxillary, and the nasal; the last, instead of uniting with those of the muzzle, slope obliquely over the nasal orifice. Now, there are only three genera of known animals which have three pairs of bones in the external nostrils; these are the rhinoceros, the elephant, and the tapir; and the last two alone have the proper bones of the nose, thin and short as in this ancient animal. In the rhinoceros, on the contrary, these bones are as long as the snout, and of extraordinary thickness, on account of the horn which they have to support.

The horse resembles them in the obliquity of the opening, and in the inclined direction of the points of its proper nose bones, or in other words, by the large notch placed under them on either side; but its intermaxillary bones extend sufficiently to the sides

of the bones of the nostrils to reach these nose bones, and be articulated with them.

From these analogies in the osseous frame, we may justly infer a similarity, in the soft parts attached to it. The elephants and tapirs have a proboscis, and the rhinoceroses possess in their lip, and the horses in the whole extremity of the snout, a mobility which depends on an organization, closely resembling that of the tapir. As the palæotherium had no intermaxillary bones like those of the elephant, it could not have a similar proboscis. From a comparison of the other three genera, it must have been formed as this

figure represents it; being intermediate between a tapir and a horse. But as its orbit was small, so also must its eye have been, whence it would have the stupid aspect of the hog. The temporal fosse was large and deep, indicating great powers of mastication.

Of the small palæotherium (minus), M. Cuvier says, could we restore this animal to life, as easily as we have rejoined its bones, we should have before us a tapir a little longer than a roe-buck, with light and slender limbs. Its height in the middle was only 18 inches.

Seven species of palæotheriums are enumerated, all dug out of the Parisian plaster beds.

The magnum had the size of a horse, the medium, that of a small hog, with long narrow feet; the crassum, same size, but with broad, shorter feet; the latum, same size, with short, squat feet; curtum, size of a sheep, spreading, very short feet; minus, rather

ANOPLOTHERIUM IN A GYPSUM BLOCK.

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smaller, narrow feet and side toes smaller; minimum, size of a hare, feet narrow.

To the other great genus of animals discovered by M. Cuvier in the Paris gypsum, the name Anoplotherium (unarmed wild beast) has been given, on account of the shortness of its canine teeth. In the fossil figured above, a specimen in such preservation was fortunately found, as explained the structure of the head, and greater part of the body. It shows the nasal and intermaxillary bones entire; the position of the intermaxillary suture, and of the suborbital hole; the zygomatic arch in perfect preservation, as well as the mastoid process; and the rising branch of the lower jaw, forced a little behind its true position. The specimen shows also the contour in profile of the posterior part of the skull. The animal approached to the Ruminant class. The most remarkable circumstance in this creature, is the enormous length and strength of its tail. Ten vertebræ belonging to it, and jointed together in another specimen, are not the only bones of which it was composed. M. Cuvier concludes that it must have consisted at least of 22 vertebræ, equalling, if not exceeding, the length of the body. No known quadruped has a tail of such size, excepting the kanguroo and this is therefore another character to add to all the others which make the anoplotherium one of the most extraordinary beings of that ancient world, whose relics we now survey. Such immense tail-bones must have had proportionate muscles to move them; of which more than conjectures exist with respect to the anoplotherium. Their tendons, in part apparently ossified, have left on the stone, traces which lead us to judge that the thickness of the tail was as enormous as its length. We need not be

surprised at these traces, since the cartilages of the ribs have also left very evident prints. The specimen represented in our figure was dug out of the quarries at Antony near Paris, 100 feet beneath the surface. The animal seems to have sunk down into the yet unindurated plaster, lying on its belly in a horizontal position, with its head only deranged and thrown to one side, and its ribs broken and crushed together, as well as its other bones, by the weight of the superincumbent strata afterwards deposited. All the dorsal, lumbar, and sacral vertebræ remained in their places, preserving their natural connexions with each other, and with the pelvis. The height of the Anoplotherium commune, at the saddle, might be about three feet and a few inches. It must have derived from its tail somewhat of the look of an otter, and was probably accustomed like this animal to live in waters and marshy grounds; but not for the purpose of fishing; for like the water-rat, the hippopotamus, and the whole family of wild boars and rhinoceroses, the anoplotherium was herbivorous; roaming in quest of the succulent roots and stems of aquatic plants. From its swimming and diving apparatus, it must have had glossy hair like the otter; and perhaps its skin was even half naked like that of its kindred pachydermata. Its entire length, including the tail, was at least eight feet; and about five feet in the body, which is the length of the body of an ass of middle size; but the latter animal stands higher.

The Anoplotherium gracile was about 2 feet high at the saddle, nearly the height of the chamois, though its skull and other bones were not so thick; but this proceeded from the extreme slenderness of its limbs. While the Anoplotherium commune had a sluggish, and awkward pace, when it walked on the ground, the gracile was nimble and graceful; light as the gazelle or chamois, it would seem to fly round the marshes and the tanks, in which the former species swam about; it would browse on the aromatic herbs of the dry pastures, or nip the buds off the trees. Its speed was undoubtedly not encumbered with a long tail; but like all the fleet herbivora, it was probably a timid animal with large moveable ears, such as those of deer, to warn it of danger. Its body would also be clothed with short hair, so that only its colour is wanting to enable us to paint it as it formerly enlivened the country of its sepulture.

The Anoplotherium leporinum was the antediluvian hare of the same regions.