The metacarpus in the Rhinoceros consists of only three bones conformable to the number of fingers.
Phalanges.---The Elephant alone of all the Pachydermata has five complete fingers ; but, although the bones are thus perfectly developed, they are so concealed in the living animal by the hoof and overhanging skin of the fore-foot, that such a condition of this pait of their skeleton would hardly be suspected.
In the ungulate tribes, which have only four fully formed fingers, there is still a little bone representing the rudiment of a thumb, although in the generality of artificial skeletons this ossicle is wanting,. In the Saida the two lateral fingers are much shorter than the two middle ones, so that in walking the former do not touch the ground at all; they are, however, quite complete as telates to the number of their phalanges ; and the last phalanges of all the toes are moreover moulded to the shape of the horny roof which covers them, a circumstance in which they differ remarkably from the larger genera.
Pclvis.—The pelves of the larger genera are of enormous size, accommodating themselves in this respect partly to the prodigious masses of muscle to Which they give origin, and partly to the monstrous capacity of the andominal cavity. In the Elephant and Rhinoceros the ossa ilii are very broad, rounded anteriorly and concave towards the abdomen. In the Tapir, the iliuin has sornevihat the form of the letter T, one branch being articulated with the ster num, while the neck of the bone forms the handle. The pelvis of the Hog very nearly approximates in shape that of carnivorous quadrupeds.
l'anur.—The femur of theElephant (fig. 464) is remarkable for the simplicity of its shape, which has some resemblance to that of the human skeleton, owing to its general smoothness and the absence of those strong crests and ridges which characterise it in most other gigantic quadrupeds. In all other tribes of the Pachy derms these bones are short, straight, and flat tened in the middle, presenting upon the outer border a wide and prominent ridge terminating inferiorly in a hook-like process, which, as well as the trochanter major, is in the case of the Rhinoceros excessively prolonged.
Tarsus.—The bones of the tarsus are simi lar both in number and arrangen-ient to those of the human skeleton. The astragalus is of great size, and all its articulating surfaces very extensive so as to afford a wide basis of sup port. The calcaneum is likewise remarkably
prominent and massive.
.Illetatarsus.—The metatarsus is in the Ele phant made up of five distinct bones, of which, however, the external one is but imperfectly developed. In all the other Pachydermatous genera there are only four metatarsal bones corresponding with the number of the toes. Of these the two central ones are far the largest, and sustain alone the entire. weight of the him. der part of the body, seeing that the most ex ternal and most internal toe of each foot scarcely reaches the ground ; and at length in the Saidx the metatarsal bones of these toes become re duced to mere rudiments appended to the sides of the foot, and serve less as organs of support than as appendages given to prevent the crea tures so organized from sinking into the marshy soils or soft mud, which they mostly frequent as though to testify the intermediate position which they occupy between the aquatic and terrestrial Mammatia.
Phalanges.—The number of toes upon the hind foot of the Elephant is five, each of them, with the exception of the outer one, consisting of three short and massive phalanges ; but the ex ternal toe is represented by a single massive and irregular-shaped piece. In the living ani mal all these bones are so encased in the thick skin covering the sole, that the division of the foot is only indicated by the prominent extre mities of the toes.
The skeleton of the Elephant is, indeed, quite peculiar in form,. so that there is not a single bone or extremity of a bone which may not easily be distinguished from that of any other animal ; and it may likewise be remarked that many of the bones of the Elephant more nearly resemble those of the human species than the analogous ones of any other quadru ped, especially of the larger inhabitants of this part of the world, such as oxen or horses. As examples of this, may be pointed out the atlas, all the cervical vertebrw, and the bodies of the dorsal vertebm ; the scapula and pelvis on ac count of their great breadth, the femur from its length and the simplicity of its shape, the astragalus, the os calcis, and all the bones of the metacarpus and metatarsus. It is, there fore, scarcely to be wondered at that even pro fessed anatomists, who had never examined the skeleton of the Elephant, have sometimes mista ken the bones of this animal for the fossil remains., of human beings, and consequently of giants.