20 LAKES AND RIVERS. 



the legs are small, and the tail is slender and not very 

 long. The eyes are small, and the nostrils are placed 

 sideways on the snout, which is short. The ears are 

 scarcely visible, being covered in the fur ; their inside 

 is bare, but the edges of the ears have a fringe of fine 

 hair; the meatusis large, andean be completely covered 

 by its operculum, which has a thickened margin. 

 The fore-feet have each five toes of unequal length, 

 the claws are much bent in. The sole of the foot is 

 bare, with papillae-like protuberances opposite the toes. 

 The hind feet have also five toes, the first of which is 

 short, and the next three equal in length, the fifth much 

 shorter. The claws are longer and stronger than those 

 of the fore -feet. The sole is bare to the tarsal joint, 

 and there are also tubercles at the roots of the toes, 

 and one between the third and fourth. The tail is 

 covered with short hairs, and is round and tapering. 

 " The upper incisors are of moderate size, slightly 

 curved and chisel-shaped, and close together - y those 

 of the lower jaw are long, curved, sub-cylindrical, 

 rounded, but naturally sloped." Inside the mouth, 

 where the lips meet, there is a tuft of white shining 

 hairs, growing out of a hard skin. The animal has 

 three grinders on the upper and under jaws ; the sides 

 of these teeth are grooved with an irregular appear- 

 ance. The palate has several rows of tubercles on 

 its surface, which in the inner row become very small, 

 and terminate near the first grinder. The stomach is 

 proportionately large, and has a middle contraction, 

 which divides it into two. The intestine is about 

 5 feet long, and the caecum is very large. The pile is 

 very long and thick ; there are two sets of hairs of dif- 

 ferent lengths ; the general .appearance is soft and 



