156 MamMatia oF INDIA. 
body than the rest of Indian otters; tail less than two thirds of the 
body; nails and toes feebly developed (whence it is classed by Gray 
in the next genus); fur long and rough, rich chestnut-brown above, 
golden red below and on the extremities. 
Size.—Head and body, 20 to 22 inches ; tail, 12 to 13 inches. 
GENUS AONYX—CLAWLESS OTTERS. 
Muzzle bald, oblong; skull broad, depressed, shorter and more 
globose than in Zz¢ra; the molars larger than in the last genus; flesh 
tooth larger, and with a large internal lobe; first upper premolar 
generally absent ; feet oblong, elongate; toes slender and tapering ; 
claws rudimentary. 
No. 199. AONYX LEPTONYX. 
The Clawless Otter (Jerdon's No. 102). 
NaTIvE NameEs.—CZusam, Bhotia ; Suriam, Lepcha. 
Hasitat.—Throughout the Himalayas, also in Lower Bengal and in 
Burmah. 
Descriprion.— Above earthy brown or chestnut brown ; lips, sides 
of head, chin, throat, and upper part of breast white, tinged with 
yellowish-grey. In young individuals the white of the lower parts is 
less distinct, sometimes very pale brownish.” —/erdon. 
S1zE.—Head and body, 24 inches; tail, 13. 
Mason speaks of this species as common in Burmah, and 
McMaster mentions his having seen in the Sitang River a colony 
of white-throated otters smaller than Z. mazr, though larger than 
L. aurobrunnea, but he did not secure specimens. 
ZELUROIDEA. 
This section includes the Cat family (Fedide) ; the Hyzenas (Hyenide) ; 
two families unknown in India, viz. the Cvyftoproctide and the 
Protelide ; and the Civet family (Viverride). 
FELIDA—THE CAT FAMILY. 
This family contains the typical carnivores. ‘There is in them com- 
bined the greatest power of destruction, accompanied by the simplest 
mechanism for producing it. All complications of dentition and 
digestion disappear. Here are the few scissor-like teeth with the 
enormous canines, the latter for holding and piercing the life out of their 
prey, the former for chopping up the flesh into suitable morsels for 
swallowing. ‘Then the stomach is a simple sac, undivided into compart- 
