LIFE OF FLOWER 125 



It is thus evident that Flower's proposed triple 

 division of the Carnivora is not altogether in accord 

 with palseontological, or phylogenetic, evidence. An 

 amendment is to merge the Cynoidea in the Arctoidea, 

 and thus retain only two groups. The observa- 

 tions recorded in the paper have a high permanent 

 value, in respect to the structure of the carnivorous 

 skull. 



Another paper by Flower appeared in the Zoological 

 Society's Proceedings for 1 869, dealing with the anatomy 

 of the soft parts of that remarkable animal, the African 

 aard-wolf (Proteles cnstatus). Although the skeleton 

 had been previously described, no information had 

 hitherto been available with regard to the viscera. In 

 the paper discussed in the foregoing paragraphs Flower, 

 from the external characters, coupled with those of the 

 dentition and skeleton, had regarded the creature as the 

 representative of a distinct family, intermediate in some 

 respects between the Hycenidte and the Viverrldtz. The 

 result of the examination of the viscera was in the main 

 to support this conclusion, although it showed that the 

 Proteleidts are more closely allied to the Hy&nldte than 

 the author had previously believed to be the case. The 

 aard-wolf may, indeed, be regarded as a kind of small 

 and degraded hyaena, with an almost rudimentary type 

 of dentition, suitable to the soft substances on which it 

 feeds. 



Passing on to the year 1870, we have to note the 

 appearance of two separate works bearing Flower's 

 name. The first of these was the Introductory 

 Lectures to the Course of Comparative Anatomy, de- 

 livered at the Royal College of Surgeons in that year. 



