Oil the Skulls of the Felidai and Viverriilaj. 26L 



XXVI. — On the Course of the Internal Carotid Artery and 

 the Foramina connected therewith in the Skulls of the 

 Felidie and Viverridse. By R. I. Pocock, F.K.S., Super- 

 intendent of the ZooJogical Society's Gardens. 



[Plates X, & XI.] 



The skulls upon which the observations made in this paper 

 are based belong mainly to the Zoological Socicty^s collec- 

 tion ; but I am indebted to Mr. H. C. Beck, F.Z.S., for the 

 kind loan of the skull of the rare Madagascan genus Crypto- 

 procta, and. to Mr. E. Gerrard for that of a species of 

 Galidictis. The facts recorded have been checked as far as 

 possible upon the skulls in the Br.tish Museum placed at 

 my disposal by Mr. Old field Thomas ; but in these examples 

 I was unable to lift the bullae or cut away the parts con- 

 cerned for the purpose of laying bare the foramina. 



For classifying the ^luroid Carnivora both Flower and 

 Mivart made use of the foramina in the base of the skull 

 connected with the course of the internal carotid artery. 

 The former* wrote: — "In the Felidse the carotid canal is 

 very minute. In the Viverridae it is distinct as a groove on 

 the side of the bulla." According to Mivart f, " in the 

 Felidse there is no carotid foramen anywhere visible on the 

 surface of the basis cranii, and no carotid foramen perforates 

 or notches the sphenoid, whereas in the Viverridaj there is a 

 carotid foramen, or two carotid foramina, visible on each 

 side of the basis cranii, and there may be a conspicuous 

 carotid foramen (deeply notching the sphenoid) in the basis 

 cranii for the entrance of the carotid into the cranial cavity." 



No excuse need be sought for restating the facts, since 

 neither of the quoted authors, who have inspired subsequent 

 writers on the subject, seems to have investigated them very 

 carefully, judging from certain inaccuracies and defects 

 contained in their statements. 



The Viverridce, as understood by Flower and Mivart, are 

 a heterogeneous group including all the ^Eluroids which 

 are not obviously cats or hyaenas. They may be considered 

 first. 



It may be recalled that in Canis the canal for the internal 

 carotid begins by an orifice on the inner side and in front of 

 the space that leads to the foramen laceruin jmsticwn — the 



* ' Mammalia,' pp. 502 & 525 (1891). 

 t P. Z. S. 1882, pp. 144-145, 197-108. 



Ann. cJD Mag. X. Hist. Ser. 8. Vol. xvii. 18 



