18 ARKIV FÖR ZOOLOGI. BAND 8. NIO 16. 



ö" 12.6.5.40. $ 10.5.4.6. 



Length of upper carnassial 10,3 mm 9 mm 



Breadth across heal of carnassial ... 7,3 » 6,5 » 



Träns verse length of m 1 7,5 » 7,5 » 



The skull of this form has a comparatively broad fore- 

 head and appears to be strongly built, the zygomatic arch is 

 somewhat thicker even than in some larger skulls of other races, 

 its vertical diameter at the middle of the arch being about 4,8 

 mm. The sagittal and occipital crests are, however, not well 

 developed, but quite low. 



There is not the slightest doubt, that this is one of the most 

 distinct of the geographical races of Tayra, but it is not quite 

 so easy to decide what name it ought to ha ve. In his »Histoire 

 Nat. Mammiféres» Fredric Cuvier described and figured 

 on Pl. 156 a Tayra, which he in the register named »Gulo leira », 

 and there is the only place where a binomial name is used. In 

 the text the word Laira is found, but not in connection with 

 a generic name ( »Laira » is probably the same as »Taira » with 

 the streak across the »1» to make it a »t» omitted). The type 

 of this Gulo leira is said to have been »envoyé de la Guyanne 

 a la Menagerie de Roi». 



The description says that the animal was »noir sur tout 

 le corps a commencement des épaules», and »Tete et le cou 



sont d'un gris jaunåtre» »une ligne blanche transver- 



sale, assez étroite form au bas du cou une espéce de demi collier ». 

 This description is of course not quite in accordance with the 

 specimens of Brit. Museum described above, but not so much 

 different, hat it may not be explained by the variability of 

 these animals. Interesting is that the plate appears to indi- 

 cate erect and reversed hair on the neck. This fact and the 

 statement that Gulo leira was from Guiana make me believe, 

 that it is identical with this race, which has been described 

 above. F. Cuvier's name does not appear, however, to have 

 priority. I do not know the date of printing of the register, in 

 which the binomial name appears, but it cannot be earlier than 

 the text to the plate 156, on which the animal is figured, and 

 it is stated in the work quoted that the »date du texte » of plate 

 156 is »Septembre 1826». F. Cuviers' name is thus antedated 

 by several years by the name used above, viz. poliocephala 

 Traill. This latter author describes and figures in Vol. III 



