We may
thus infer that _Dinoceras_ possessed three pairs of horns, all
of which resembled the horns of the Sheep and Oxen in consisting
of a central bony "core," surrounded by a horny sheath. The nose
was not prolonged into a proboscis or "trunk," as in the existing
Elephants; and the tail was short and slender. Many forms of
the _Dinocerata_ are known; but all these singular and gigantic
quadrupeds appear to have been confined to the North American
continent, and to be restricted to the Eocene period.
[Illustration: Fig. 232.--Skull of _Dinoceras mirabilis_, greatly
reduced. Eocene, North America. (After Marsh.)]
The important order of the Elephants (_Proboscidea_) is also not
known to have come into existence during the Eocene period. On the
other hand, the great order of the Beasts of Prey (_Carnivora_)
is represented in Eocene strata by several forms belonging to
different types. Thus the _Ardocyon_ presents us with an Eocene
Carnivore more or less closely allied to the existing Racoons;
the _Paloeonyctis_ appears to be related to the recent Civet-cats;
the genus _Hyoenodon_ is in some respects comparable to the living
Hyaenas; and the _Canis Parisiensis_ of the gypsum-bearing beds
of Montmartre may perhaps be allied to the Foxes.
[Illustration: Fig. 233.--Portion of the skeleton of _Vespertilio
Parisienis_.
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