94 



June28, 1831. 



Rev. W. Kirby iii tlie Cliair. 



A letter from Sir Robert Ker Porter, Corr. Menib. Z. S., 

 dated City of Caracas, Venezuela, March 25, 1831, was read, lt 

 announced his having recently obtained possession of a specimen of 

 the American Tapir, (Tapir Americanus, Gmel.), which it was his 

 intention to transniit to the Society at the earliest opportunity. It 

 embraced a full description of the animal ; and entered at consider- 

 able length Into an account of its habits. The letter was accompa- 

 nied by two drawings of the Tapir, and by sketches of its proboscis- 

 like upper lip. 



Mr. Gray exhibited the skins and skuUs of tvvo Mavimalia brought 

 from Chiiia by M r. Reeves, together vvilh the škuli of a third, of 

 which a skin was also in his possession. On these he proposed to 

 found three new genera, the characters of which may be given as 

 follows : 



Helictis. 



Dentes primores į- : laniarii -{■ i : molarcs į^į- ; e guibus 4 į ante- 



rioresjalsi conici comprcssi ; carnivori i 4-, in maxilld superiori 



3-lobati, cum processu intcrno subcaitrali lato 2.acumi7iato ; tu- 



berculares \ -1-, superiores mediocres transversi, inferiores exigui. 



Caput elongatum. Pedes breves ; plantce ad calcaneum Jcre 



nudcE ; digiti 5 — 5 ; ungues validce, ajiteriores longes compresscc. 



Cauda cytindrica mediocris. 



This genus, which inhabits eastern Asia, has the general appear- 



ance and colouring of Mydaiis, combined with a dentition resem- 



bling that of Gulo or Mustela, but diftering from both the latter 



genera in the large internal centrai lobe of the upper carnivorous 



tooth. The species exhibited may be characterized in the follow- 



ing terms. 



Helictis moschata. Hel. supra argentata, pilis singulis basi 

 cinereis apice argenteo-albis , colore argenteo ad latera corporis et 

 versus apicem caudce dominante, capite pedibnsgue anticis in 

 fusco-cinerascentetn vergentibus ; striga inter, aliisgue duobus pone, 

 oculos, maculd interauriculari nuchalique, labio superiore, mento, 

 gula, gastrceo medio,Jemoribusque internis, albis. 

 ' The entire lengih of the animal is 234 inches, of vvhich the tail 

 measures 8. It inhabits China, and smėlis strongly of mušk. 



Mr.Gray added that the Gtdo orientalis of Dr. Horsfield's 'Zoolo- 

 gical Researches in Java' appeared to him to form a second species 

 of the genus, closely resembling theChinesein its general characters, 

 and in the disposition of its colouring, but diftering in its browner 

 colour and in the largev proportion of white upon the head and 



