454 



THE CARNIVORES 



The whole of these animals have, however, more elongated faces than the cats, 

 and their bodies are also longer, and their legs shorter than in the members of that 

 family, not even excepting the peculiar eyra. They have a larger number of cheek- 

 teeth than any of the existing cats, the premolar teeth being never less than three 

 and very frequently four on each side of both the upper and lower jaws. More- 

 over, with the single exception of the above-mentioned species from Madagascar 

 (which is at once distinguished from all the cats by the presence of four premolar 

 teeth), the civets always have two molar teeth in the lower jaw that is to say, 

 there is a tooth behind the lower flesh-tooth. Further, in nearly all cases there are 

 also two molar teeth in the upper jaw and behind the flesh-tooth ; these molar teeth 



(as shown in the accompanying 

 figure of the upper jaw of the 

 Indian civet) being generally of 

 large size, and thus very different 

 from the single small upper mo- 

 lar of the cats. With the above- 

 mentioned exception, the upper 

 flesh-tooth has but two lobes to 

 THE I.EFT HALF OF THE UPPER JAW OF THE INDIAN CIVET, the blade ; while the lower flesh- 

 To show the form and number of the teeth. The fourth tooth tOOth has a large tubercular heel 

 from the left side of the figure is the tusk, or canine ; and the third , , . , ,. ,. , . 



tooth from the right side the flesh-tooth, or last premolar ; the two c l lne CUlUng DiaQC. AS a 



teeth behind the latter being the molars. (From the Palceontologia creneral rule their feet have four 

 Indica). 



toes ; but in some cases the first 



toe (thumb) may be wanting in the fore-feet, in others the corresponding toe may 

 be absent in the hind-feet, while in others, again, both fore and hind-feet may be 

 four toed. Then, again, while in some forms the claws can be withdrawn into 

 sheaths as completely as in the cats, in others they are but partially retractile ; this 

 difference depending, as pointed out by Mr. Blanford, to a great extent as to 

 whether the animals walk on their toes (digitigrade), or on the soles of their feet 

 (plantigrade). 



None of the civets attain large dimensions ; and they are chiefly characteristic 

 of Africa, Madagascar, and Southeastern Asia, only two species entering the south- 

 ern parts of Europe. 



THE FOSSA 

 Genus Cryptoprocta 



The fossa of Madagascar, which is the largest Carnivore found in that island, 

 is the species already alluded to as connecting the more typical members of the 

 present family with the cats. This peculiar animal differs, indeed, so remarkably 

 from all the other representatives of the civet tribe, that it has been considered by 

 some that it ought to be referred to a separate family ; but in most features it 

 agrees so essentially with the civets that this view is now generally discarded by 

 zoologists. 



