VOL. XIV, PP. 137-143 AUGUST 9, 1901 



PROCEEDINGS 



or THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



THE AMERICAN JACiTARS. 



liV KIHJAIt A. MKAKNS. 



The jaguars of South America are readily distinguishable 

 from the forms to the north\v:mi by cranial and denial charac- 

 lers, as shown beyond. 



The materials from South America in the collection of the 

 United States National Museum, including those of the Biolog 

 ical Survey of the Tinted States Department of Agriculture, 

 aggregating teH skulls and one mounted specimen, sire insuffi 

 cient for elucidating the southern forms which, collectively, 

 represent the ' /v//.s- <>n<- Linmeus 1 of modern authors. Con 

 siderable variation is observed in the skulls of eight males from 

 Hra/il, Paraguay, IJolivia, and Parana. The largest of these 

 (No. 4128, U. S. National Museum) is from Paraguay, and 

 measures 242 mm. in basilar length (Ilensel). The audital 

 bulhe are much flattened, with the space between them and the 

 mastoid and parorcipit il processes completely tilled. The teeth 

 give the following measurements: crown of upper carnassial, 

 2 ( -> by I."). (5 mm.; crown of middle upper premolar, 20.3 by 11; 

 length of upper canine, from gums, 43; length of incisor 

 series, measured on alveoli, 3T>. Compared with the above 

 specimen, the skull of No. 13151, also collected by Captain T. 

 .!. Page, 1 T . S. N., at San .lose, Parana, measures only 212 

 mm. in basilar length, but. has relatively heavy dentition, the 

 27-BiOL. Soc. WASH. VOL. XIV, 1901. (137) 



