256 VIEW OF THE FAUNA OF BRAZIL 



know, I offer the specific name pacivorus, from the animal 

 that formed its chief prey. 



There is a small group of Ferm, peculiar to South Ame- 

 rica, called by the Brazilians Eirara, which forms a passage 

 between the Digitigrada and Plantigrada, and serves to 

 unite the genera Gulo and Mustela.^ There are two species 

 known of this sub-genus, which is hitherto without any sys- 

 tematic name ; and whose species have therefore been classed 

 by some with Gulo, by others with Mustela : — Viverra vit- 

 tata, and Mustela harhata of Linnaeus ; which latter, how- 

 ever, in consequence of an original error in the printing, is 

 now generally called harbara. Another genus, Nasua, at 

 present confined to this continent, existed also here in the 

 former period. I possess the remains of one species, but too 

 imperfect to decide, on its relation to existing species. 



But the most remarkable animals that frequented this dis- 

 trict in ancient times, are the two I next proceed to describe, 

 the bear and the hyaena ; both of which are now lost to its 

 Fauna. The fossil Brazilian bear {Ursus Brasiliensis), is 

 far inferior to the gigantic species whose remains occur in 

 the European caves ; and must even be classed among the 

 smaller kinds of the existing race, though it is distinguished 

 by its massive build. On the contrary, the fossil Brazilian 

 hyaena {Hgcena neogced), will rank with the largest recent 

 species ; although even in this respect, it must yield to those 

 monsters of this same genus, whose relics have been found 

 so abundantly in the caves of the old world. If we now 

 compare the genera of this family, with reference to the two 

 epochs under our view, we find that of the five which now 

 inhabit this district, viz. Felis, Cams, Lutra, Nasua, and 

 Eirara (for I am compelled to use this for want of any proper 

 systematic name), four have been already discovered to belong 

 to the more ancient period. Lutra is, therefore, the only one 

 of which I have hitherto found no remains. But this may 

 easily be explained, without concluding that the genus was 

 entirely wanting to the antediluvian Fauna of Brazil. The 

 otter neither frequents caves itself, nor is it likely to become 

 the prey of beasts that do so : it is, therefore, not to be won- 

 dered at that we do not at once discover this form, at the 

 very first glance we cast over these fossils. We may. there- 

 fore, consider ourselves justified in assuming that the former 

 system of animal creation in these parts, contained all the 

 genera of the Feres we find occurring there at the present 

 day. But we have seen that in addition to these, the 

 previous system possessed four other forms that do not now 



' Galietis of Prof. T. Ball. See 'Zool. Trans, of Lond.' v. ii. p. 201.— Ed. 



