196 MANIDAE. 



African species, and thus this may be looked upon as 

 being a characteristic difference between the Indian and 

 African Manidae ^ when fullgrown. 



Judging from the material at my disposition , it seems 

 to me that the external ear-conch is always conspicuous , 

 but that there are degrees in its development, in as much 

 as they are largest in the species of the Indian Continent , 

 smaller in those of the Indian Archipelago , whereas the 

 African species have them very small. 



The number of the rows of scales and the number of 

 scales in each row , especially of the tail , has always taken 

 a conspicuous part in descriptions and determinations of the 

 several species and has given rise to the creation of nu- 

 merous species ,' which on closer examination could not hold 

 their ground. Two principal points have to be kept in mind : 

 1°. where the tail begins and 2°. whether the number of 

 rows and of scales in each row in the same species is con- 

 stant or not? As to the first point I must observe that 

 the tail when seen from above constantly presents five 

 rows of scales , the outer ones very characteristically and 

 rectangularly curved inwards : I propose to call the first so 

 shaped scale the first scale of the tail. From this scale 

 I count backwards and upwards along the transverse series 

 of scales and the median dorsal scale thus attained simi- 

 larly ranks as first scale on the tail. This nomenclature 

 was adopted (although the actual length of the tail is not 

 determined in the same way, but by measuring the distance 

 from the anus to the tip of the tail) because it is the only 

 conventional system of counting the rows of scales on the 

 tail which can be applied both to the African and Indian 

 species. Moreover according to this plan the number of 

 median tail-scales corresponds exactly to that of the mar- 

 ginal ones. An answer to the second question is thus ob- 

 tained at the same time. As an example I take Manis ja- 

 vanica ; of this species I have before me a large series from 

 Salanga , Sumatra , Java , Banka and Borneo. I find the 

 following numbers: 



JSTotes from the Uoydcn Aluscum, Vol. IV. 



