316 MANIDID.E. 



I add a few anatomical observations taken from Tickell and others. 



The tongue is 12 inches long, flattish or subcylindric, extensile, gene- 

 rally covei'ed with a slightly viscid saliva. There is a strong, o])aque nycti- 

 tating membrane. The right or pyloric side of the stomach is immensely 

 muscular, almost cartilaginous in structure, like the gizzard of a bird ; the 

 left side is thin and membranous. The cardiac and pyloric orifices are 

 approximate. The gall-bladder is very large, as are the kidneys. The 

 penis is not apparent externally ; and the fseces are long, black, truncated 

 cylinders. 



242. Manis aurita. 



Hodgson. — Blyth, Cat. 554, olim M. Javanica. 



The Sikim Scaly Ant-eater. 



Descr. — Tail a little shorter than head and body, not quite so thick 

 at the base as the last, with five rows of scales about 20 in number in 

 each row; 15 to 17 rows of scales in a line on the back, most of them 

 with a few whitish hairs or bristles beneath them, especially in young 

 individuals. Muzzle very acute ; ears conspicuous, large ; all the anterior 

 claws large, especially the middle one, and the next outer; posterior 

 claws small. There is a less-marked difference in the size of the scales 

 of the head and neck and body than in pentadactyla, in which the scales 

 of the head are very much smaller. 



Length of one, head and body 19 inches ; tail 15|^. 



This species of Manis was described by Hodgson in one of his earliest 

 papers, but it is not enumerated in either edition of the Catalogue of 

 Hodgson's Collections, whilst M. 'pentadactyla is given, a decision which 

 that gentleman appears to accept in the annotated copy of the new edi- 

 tion of his Catalogue, kindly forwarded to me. I suspect that it is rare 

 in Nepal, and that probably he did not procure it latterly, but he evidently 

 had both species before him when he named them respectively aurita and 

 iiiaurita, on the more or less prominence of the auricle, which character is 

 veiy evident in fresh specimens.* Blyth too had considered the few 

 specimens he had seen from other localities than the Himalayas, as the 

 3L Javanica of authoi-s. I procured one fine specimen near Darjeelicg, 

 as well as other smaller ones, on examining which, in company with Mr. 



* Probably some at least of Hodgson's specimens at the British Museum, or 

 elsewhere, will turn out to be this species. 



