G6 



General Notes. 



BUFFON'S "PORO-EPIC DE MALACA." 



In the "General Notes" of December!}! Mr. Lyon repeats the assertion, 

 first made by Dr. Jentiiik, that BmToii's "Pore-epic de Malaca," on 

 which Jiangs Hystrix fasciculate Shaw, is a member of the genus Trichys, 

 and not an Atherurus as was formerly supposed. 



But this reference to Trichys is, I believe, quite erroneous, and I regret 

 that I did not earlier publish the notes I have on the subject, so as to pre 

 vent the repetition of this mistake. 



Firstly, Button's animal was said to come from Malacca, where Atherurus 

 is common and Trichys is as yet unknown. 



Secondly, " rogmires de parchemin " to which the flattened terminal 

 tail bristles are said to be similar need not be translated strips of parch 

 ment, but rather "parings " or " clippings," words quite as applicable to 

 the beaded bristles of Atherurus as to the parallel-sided ones of Trichys. 

 It is the undue importance attached to Shaw's translation "strips of 

 parchment ' ' which has misled previous writers on the matter. 



But the truth is readily shown by the following comparative characters : 



Ruffon't Figure. Atherurus. Trichys. 



Back profusely covered AVith numerous long No bristles, or a few in- 



dorsal bristle.-*. 

 Proportion as in fig 

 ure. 



with long whiskers. 

 Naked part of tail about 

 equal in length to tuft. 



Tuft large and bushy. 



Buffon's Description. 

 Tail about % of body. 



" Piquans blancs a la 

 pointe." 



Tuft large. 



Tail, with tuft, about 



% of body. 

 Spines prominently 



white-tipped. 



conspicuous ones. 

 Tufted part of tail 



about \ of naked 



part. 

 Tuft small and thin. 



Tail, %-%. 

 Spines all brown. 



It will therefore be seen that the proportions of the tail and its terminal 

 tuft, the color of the spines, and the locality, all point definitely to Athe 

 rurus and not to Trichys, while the " rognures de parchemin " phrase is 

 just as applicable to one as to the other. 



Neither this nor any other of Buffon's figures is sufficiently accurate in 

 details to permit of importance being attached to the shape of the terminal 

 caudal bristles as shown in the illustration itself. 



My determination is therefore in accordance with that made by the two 

 Cuviers, who may have actually examined and described the specimen 

 figured by Buftbn. 



The present correction is of importance with regard to the nomenclature 

 of the species of Trichys, but Hystrix fasciculata Shaw, proving to be a 

 synonym of H. macroura Linn., the latter is still none the less the type of 

 the genus Atherni'it*. Qhlfield Thomas. 



