| OCR Text |
Show 72 BE. A. SMITH WOODWARD ON REMAINS OF [Jan. 23, Another interesting feature of the new piece of skin consists in the dwindling and even total absence of the ossicles towards the ventral border. A section along the edge marked d in Roth's photograph exhibits only two diminutive nodules of bone in a length of 0*1 m.; while another similar section taken vertically from the skin of the limb near h shows no trace of ossicles, except perhaps two little specks. It must, however, be noted that the limb Mas not entirely destitute of armour; for on the border marked </, i, the bones are as well de\ eloped and conspicuous as on the middle of the flank. In the newly-cut sections the skin has a translucent aspect, showing that; it is merely dried and not tanned in any way. The hair on the new specimen varies in length from 0*07 m. or 0-10 m. at b to 0"15 m. or 0*22 m. on the limb. It is thus longer than that of the previous piece of skin. Masses of still longer hairs-some 0*30 m. in length-were found detached among the excrement, and these are also believed by Roth to belong to the same animal. His determination is probably correct; for, when examined microscopically, these long hairs are observed to have a perfectly smooth cuticle, while some transverse sections (kindly made by M r . R. H . Burne) demonstrate the complete absence of a medulla, exactly as in the short hairs. The latter feature proves that they cannot be referred either to the horse or to the guanaco. Excrement. The large cylindrical pieces of excrement, which may be referred to Grypotherium without any hesitation, have already been described and figured by Dr. Roth. They consist of irregular discoids of herbaceous matter closely pressed together, the largest measuring no less than 0-18 m. in diameter. Mr. Spencer Moore has kindly examined them from the botanist's point of view and reports that they are composed " in large part apparently of grasses, as the haulms, leaf-sheaths, fragments of leaves, &c. of these plants are frequent in the mass. A spikelet, almost entire, of what seems to be a species of Poa, and the flowering glume of another grass, probably avenaceous, have also been found. Besides these there are at least two dicotyledonous plants, one herbaceous and the other almost certainly so, tho latter having a slender "really sclerotized stem. Unfortunately, as no leaves have hitherto been observed attached to the fragments of stem, their affinities are altogether doubtful. There are numerous siliceous particles in the excrement, and there are many pieces of the underground parts of the plants, suggesting that they have been pulled out of the ground. A few pieces of stems are sharply cut, not bruised or torn at the end." The latter fact is especially important in connection with Dr. Hauthal's discovery of cut hay in the cavern, and his theory that the Grypotherium was kept in captivity and fed by man. |
