K. S. Bardenfleth: On the systematic position of Æluropus tnelanoleueus. 15 



either burrowing or climbing habits*); it seems to me to be a confirmation of the 

 view that Æluropus is a climbing animal. It is no doubt connected with the ten- 

 don of muse. abduc. magnus pollicis and muse. abdue. curtus poU. (Gervais 1875 p, 

 86). — The large and heavy animal needs strong muscles, this may be the reason 

 why the bone is so extraordinarily large. — The elongation of the tarsale IV — V in 

 Ælurus and Æluropus may be due to their supposed semiplantigrade gait (though 

 this is somewhat doubtful in Æluropus); it is also elongated in dog and cat. — 

 VVhen Lankester & Lydekker say (1. c. pag. 170): "l cannot find evidenc« of the 

 existence of [the] tibial sesamoid in either Proq/on or Ursus"", this must be founded 

 upon a mistake or upon a defective skeleton, the sesamoid is present, at least in Ursus, 

 and nearly as large as that of Æluropus (efr. fig. 3). 



If Gervais is right in his indication about the number of the vertebræ, .Kl uro- 

 pus bas the fewest number of dorsals of any Carnivore, the least othen^ise known 

 being Mellivora indica with 14 dorsal and 4 lumbar vertebræ (Flower: Osteology, 

 pag. 81); but the highest number, 16 and 6, being also found among Mustelidæ 

 (Mephilis) much stress cannot be laid on this number in systematical relation. The 

 vertebræ of Æluropus seem to be mostly arctoid, those of Ælurus are procyonoid*). 



Unfortunately the soft parts of Æluropus are unknown except the brain, but 

 this organ shows, according to Gervais (1870, pag. 136 — 7 and 141), less resemblanc« 

 to that of Ælurus than do the other parts of its body; it differs only in more un- 

 important characters from that of Ursus. 



We may thus say ihoX Æluropus is a true member of tho Ursidæ, butdeveloped 

 in ni.itlif'r direction than Ursus, no doubt from a form related to Hyivn-irrius and 

 indicating on certain accounts a culminating-point of that branch of Ursidæ, whereas 

 Ælurus is the culminating-point of the Procyon-Nasua series of Procyonidæ. The 

 t\SM forms are converging branches of the same general stem, Arctoidea, but with 

 different points of origin on it. They can thus by no means form connecting links 

 hf'twfpn Ursidæ and Procyonidæ; this Imk may (according to Winge) be sought in 

 a primitive, Cyrwdiciis-XiVQ form. 



' -'>': Jordfundne og nulevende Gnavere fra Lagoa Santa etc. (E Muse«) I uniii. Hd. I, 



K«»bprii..... ^.H, pap. ITn or 2()0). 



' i;. Stromer; hi- \\ irliel der Latilr mltii^ren. (Zoologica, 1902, pag. 135). 



