THE EXTINCT FAMILY PALÆOTHERIDÆ.
The Palæotheridæ, or fourth family to be considered under the head of the Perissodactyla, is that which is found only in the fossil state in the Eocene strata of Europe and North America. They are allied, on the one hand, to the Horses, and on the other to the Tapirs. The type of the family, the Palæotherium, was originally discovered by Cuvier in the quarries of Montmartre, near Paris. The grinding teeth closely resemble, in the pattern of their grinding surfaces, those of the Rhinoceros. The full complement, however, of incisors and canines, as well as of grinders, is present in each jaw, namely—Incisors, 3; canines, 1; premolars, 4; molars, 3. These animals varied in size from that of a Roedeer to that of a Tapir, and were possessed of three well-developed hoof-bearing toes.
The genus Macrauchenia is also an extinct form, constituting a separate family, Macraucheniadæ, peculiar to the later Tertiaries of South America. Its skull is, on the whole, like that of the Horse, but the nasal bones are short and like those of the Tapir. It possessed a long neck, like the Llamas, and a full complement of teeth, partly equine, partly resembling those of Rhinoceros. Both fore and hind feet were furnished with three toes.
W. BOYDDAWKINS.H. W. OAKLEY.
W. BOYDDAWKINS.H. W. OAKLEY.