418 Anali/tical Notices of Books, 



Between the viverrine family, to which the last described anU 

 mal belongs, and that which is composed of the Racoons and 

 Bears, there has hitherto existed a considerable gap, which is now 

 in a great measure filled up by the newly discovered forms which 

 we shall next notice ; the Benturong, and the Panda. The for^ 

 mer of these, which has been known in Europe for several years, 

 forms the type of a new genus now first described under the name 

 of IcTiDEs, a denomination affixed to it by M. Valenciennes, 

 from whose pen some observations on the subject appeared in the 

 Annales des Sciences Naturelles in January of the present year. 



The external appearance of the Ictides corresponds in some 

 degree with both that of the Civets and that of the Racoons • 

 having the plantigrade motion of the latter and the slender snout 

 of the former. But it is separated from both by its prehensile 

 tail; and by its teeth, which bear some resemblance to both these 

 genera. It has, like the Civets, one tubercular molar tooth in the 

 lower, and two in the upper, jaw ; but these teeth, as well as all 

 the other true molars, are so thickened as to approach very nearly 

 to those of the Racoons. The Ictides is completely plantigrade, 

 and has on each foot five toes armed with strong compressed claws, 

 apparently adapted for climbing. Its tail, the thickness of which 

 at its commencement is almost monstrous, is prehensile beneath, 

 without being terminated by a naked skin like that of the Ateles^ 

 but resembling entirely the tail of the Sajous. The eye, like that 

 of the Domestic Cat, has the pupil vertically elongated ; the habits 

 of the Ictides are consequently nocturnal. The ears are small 

 and rounded; and the nostrils are surrounded by a muzzle, which 

 is divided into two portions by a deep sulcus. The hairs are long 

 and thick ; and a peculiar character is given to the physiognomy 

 by the moustaches, which are very voluminous on the lips, the 

 eyes, and the cheeks, and by the pencil of long and numerous 

 hairs which terminates the ears. The cry is intermediate between 

 those of the Cat and of the Dog. 



The Ictides albifrons^ to which the preceding generic descrip- 

 tion chiefly refers, is of the size of a very large Domestic Cat. 

 The colour of its fur is generally gray, resulting from silky hairs, 

 which are black at their base, and white in their extreme third. 



