624 ORISON. 



The Orisons, as the animals of the genus GRISON are called, are 

 plantigrade, with a weasel-like body, short legs, and a long tail. 

 They live in the hollows of trees, or cavities in rocks, or holes in the 

 earth; in fact, in any kind of place that will afford them a refuge and 

 shelter, and often keep in the neighborhood of houses or farm build- 

 ings. In general appearance they are not unlike the Marten. 



1OO. Grisoii. The Grisoiis. 



T 3-3. p i-i . p 3-3. M 1-1 _ 

 *-3=~3' U M' ^3=3' M -^-34- 



Orison Oken, Lehrb. der Zool., n, 1816, p. 1000. Type Viverra 



vittata Schreber. 



Tayra Oken, Lehrb. der Zool., n, 1816, p. 1001. 

 Laira F. Cuv., Hist. Nat. Mamm., v, 1826, livr. XLV. 

 Galictis Bell Zool. Journ., n, 1826, p. 551. 

 Galidictis I. Geoff., Mag. Zool., Mamm., 1839, p. 32. 

 Galera Browne, Civil & Nat. Hist. Jamaica, 2d ed., 1789, p. 485, 



Tab. 49, fig. i. Gray, List. Spec. Mamm. Brit. Mus., 1843, 



p. 67. 

 Grisonia Gray, Ann. Phil., xxvi, 1825, p. 339. Id. Proc. Zool. 



Soc., 1865, p. 122. 



Nose short, grooved; body long, limbs short; claws short, curved, 

 acute, non-retractile; soles naked; head broad; tail moderately long, 

 covered with long hairs ; thumb with long claw. Inner tubercle of 

 upper carnassial near the middle of the inner border; talon and- 

 inner cusp of lower carnassial small, sometimes absent. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES AND SUBSPECIES. pAGE 



A. Head and neck brown G. b. biologies 524 



B. Head and neck grayish white G. b. senex 525 



C. Face black; whites stripe from forehead to 

 sides of neck. 



a. Base of long hairs on back black G. allamandi 526 



b. Base of long hairs on back gray G. canaster 526 



A. Tayra. 



Barbara biologies (Galictis), Thomas, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 7th 



Ser., v, 1900, p. 146. 

 CALOVEVORA GRISON. Chulomuco, Tulomuco in Costa Rica. 



Type locality. Calovevora, Veragua, Panama. 



Geogr. Distr. Central America generally. 



Genl. Char. Similar to G. barbara, but head darker. 





