234 Zoological Society. 



intention to transmit 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 skulls of two Mammalia brought 

 from China by Mr. Reeves, together wilh the skull 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. 



Denies primores I- : laniarii -f -j- : molares -|- -f- ; e quibus 4 4 ante- 

 rioresjalsi conici compressi ; camivori ■{- -{-, in maxilla superiori 

 3-lobati, cum processu interno subcentrali Into 2-acumi)iato ; iu- 

 bcTCulares -{- 4-, superiores mediocres transversi, inferiores exigui. 

 Caput elongatum. Pedes breves; plantce ad calcaneum Jere 

 nudcE ; digiti 5 — 5 ; ungues validcB, anteriores longce compresses. 

 Cauda cytindrica mediocris. 

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

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

 bling that of Gulo or Mustcla, but differing from both the latter 

 genera in the large internal central lobe of the upper carnivorous 

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

 ing terms : 



Helictis moschata. Hel. supr^ argentata, pilis singulis basi 



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



versus apicem caudce dom'mante, capite pedibusque anticis in 



Jusco-cinerasceyitem vergentibus ; striga inter, aliisque duabuspone, 



oculos, macula interauriculari nuchalique, labia superiore, mento, 



gula, gastrceo medio, Jemoribusque internis, albis. 



The entire length of the animal is 23i inches, of which the tail 



measures 8. It inhabits China, and smells strongly of musk. 



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

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

 of the genus, closely resembling the Chinese in its general characters, 

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

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

 back. The internal lobe of the upper carnivorous tooth in the Ja- 

 vanese animal is also described as being anterior and very minute. 



Paguma. 



Denies primores |- eequales : laniarii -i- i ; molares 4 ^ ,- quorum 



utrinque in maxilla superiori 3 Jalsi parvi compressi, 1 carni- 



varus brevis obtuse 3-lobus cum processu interno centrali, 2 iubev' 



culares subquadrati interne subangustati antice non producii ; 



in viaxilld inferiore 4 Jalsi, 1 carnivorus, 1 tubercularis. Pedes 



postici plantigradi, ad calcaneum usque nudi callosi. Cauda longa 



atienuata. 



In the number and disposition of its teeth this genus agrees with 



Viverra, from which, however, it differs in their conformation. It 



is much like Ictides in colouring, but has about the face the pale 



marking 



