Mr.Waterhouse or<t //ie Crania and Dentition of Carnivora* 25 



appears near the root of the male organ [f), where it is coiled 

 up, and before terminating in the penis presents a small di- 

 latation. 



^^ The female organs are an ovary (g) which lies across the 

 middle of the body ; and an oviduct [h) which is dilated and 

 sacculated transversely along its middle third. The vesicle [i) 

 found in this situation in the gasteropod moUusks opens by a 

 short neck at the termination of the oviduct. 



" John Goodsir.^' 



VI. — On certain Characters in the Crania and Dentition of 

 Carnivora which may serve to distinguish the subdivisions of 

 that Order. By G. R. Waterhouse, Esq.* 



Judging from the form of the skull and lower jaw, and from the 

 structure of the teeth, the order Carnivora appears to consist of six 

 families, of which the Dog, Viverra, Cat, Weasel, Bear, and Seal 

 afford familiar examples ; of these the Cats and Weasels appear to 

 be the most truly carnivorous, and the Bears the least so. 



To these six families Mr. Waterhouse applies the names Canidce^ 

 Viverridce, JFelidce, Mustelidce, UrsidcBy and Phocidce. 



In the first of these families (the CanidcB) the muzzle is elongated ; 

 the bony palate terminates in a line with the hinder margin of the 

 posterior molars, or even in advance of that line, and in this respect 

 differs from other Carnivora ; the posterior portion of the skull is 

 short, and there are two true molars on either side, both of the upper 

 and lower jaw. 



The principal genera contained in this family are Canis, Fenne- 

 cus, Lgcaon, and Megalotis. In the form of the lower jaw, and in 

 dentition, the last-mentioned genus affords a most remarkable excep- 

 tion to the other Carnivora, and the palate terminates behind the 

 line of the posterior molars ; there may be some doubt therefore as 

 to its real situation. 



The ViverridfB have the same general form of skull as the Canidce, 

 but differ in having the posterior portion more produced ; the bony 

 palate is carried further back, and the small back molar observable 

 in the lower jaw of the Dogs is here wanting ; they have, therefore, 

 but one true molar on either side of the lower jaw, and two true 

 molars on each side of the upper jaw. 



To this family belong the genera Paradoxurus, Cynogale (which 



* Communicated to the Zoological Society, Sept. 24, 1839. 



