206 Lloyd's natural history. 



five enormous bounds, by which he nearly reached his prey, 

 suddenly gave up the pursuit, and came growling sulkily 

 back to his cart.' 



"As soon as the Antelope is pulled down, a keeper runs up, 

 hoods the Chita, cuts the victim's throat, and securing some of 

 the blood in a wooden ladle, thrusts it under the Leopard's nose. 

 The Antelope is then dragged away, and placed in a receptacle 

 under the cart, while the Chita is rewarded with a leg for his 

 pains." 



II. THE CIVETS. FAMILY VIVERRID^. 



This extensive Family, which includes not only the typical 

 Civets, but likewise the Palm Civets, Mungooses, &c., may 

 be distinguished from the Felidtz by two leading characteristics. 

 In the first place the auditory bulla of the skull is marked by a 

 transverse external constriction, indicating the position of the 

 internal bony partition ; and, in the second, the middle incisor 

 tooth on each side of the lower jaw is raised above the level of 

 the other two. From all existing Felidce the Viverridce are fur- 

 ther distinguished by the greater number of pre-molar teeth in 

 the low r er jaw, these varying from three to four pairs. As a 

 rule, the teeth of the cheek-series differ considerably from those 

 of the Cats ; but as the genus Cryptoproda forms a connecting 

 link between the two groups in this respect, dental characters 

 cannot be relied on to distinguish between them. The num- 

 ber of pre-molar teeth varies from three to four pairs in each 

 jaw, and there are generally two pairs of molars in each, 

 although in a few instances these may be reduced to a single 

 pair. In most cases the feet, which may be either digitigrade 

 or partly plantigrade, are each furnished with five toes ; but the 

 number may be reduced to four in either the front or the hind 

 pair, or in both. The degree of retractility of the claws varies 

 in the different genera, as does the extent to which the hair 

 extmds on to the hinder part of the sole of the foot. 



