BIHANG TILL K. SV. VET.-AKAD. HANDL. BAND 28. AFD. IV. N:0 3. 9 



more striking by the ronndish elevations described by the 

 present author. These resemble namely the formations de- 

 scribed by Watson ^ in the female Hycena crocuta as »scrotal 

 pouches), and also the real scrotnm of the same animal (conf. 

 above). The likeness is, however, mostly superticial. In the 

 Hycena crocuta the clitoris is perforated by the urogenital 

 canal, but in the Cryptoprocta this is not the case, only a 

 longitndinal groove corresponding to a prolongation of the 

 urethra being present. Thus, if we assume that this groove 

 beeame closed to a canal the condition should not even then 

 be similar to that of the spotted Hyeena. The clitoris would 

 be perforated, but only by the nrethra, and behind that ope- 

 ning would be a separate genital opening. The condition 

 would then on the other hand be rather similar to that found 

 in some rodents and Frosimice, which have their clitoris per- 

 forated b}^ the nrethra alone. But there are still more diife- 

 rences between the female genital organs of the Cryjytoprocta 

 and those of the Hycena crocuta. In the latter there is, accor- 

 ding to Watsox,- a well developed corpus titeri, which can 

 be said to be entirely missing in the Cryptoprocta (conf. above). 

 The limit between the vagina and the uterus is also diiferent 

 in the two animals, being in the' spotted Hyeena only two 

 'Very slightly projecting folds» (Watson, 1881). The absence 

 of an ossicle in the clitoris of the Hycena is also a remar- 

 kable difference. According to Owen ^ the seals and the white 

 bear possess an ossicle in their clitoris, but according to the 

 same author there is »no ossicle or cartilage» in the same or- 

 gan of »the Viverrine or Feline Carnivora». Ellenberger 

 and Baum "* state, however, that the clitoris of the common 

 cat is provided with a cartilage. In the few representatives 

 of the viverrine group which I have had the opportunity of 

 seeing there was no ossicle in the clitoris. I am thus not 

 able to point ont any resemblance in this respect between 

 those animals and Cryptoprocta. A distinct corptus uteri seems 

 to be present in some viverrids — for instance in a Crossar- 

 chus (?) it measured about 12 mm. in length — but missing 

 in others, so that the cornua uteri open directly into the va- 



^ Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1877, and about the niale organs ibideui 1878. 



- Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1S77 and 1881. 



' Anatomy of Vertebrates. 



* Handbuch der vergl. Anatomie der Haastluere, Berlin 1000. 



2 



