62 BULLETIN NO. VII. 



upon sweet vegetables like bananas as well as birds. It is 

 beautifully marbled with black upon a yellow ground. The 

 mampalon which dwells near the fresh waters of Borneo and 

 Sumatra is an abberant form resembling the otter greatly and 

 like it is aquatic, having webbed feet and is partially planti- 

 grade. 



The ichneumons have already been referred to and many 

 species are known. 



The suricate is a small animal something over a foot long, 

 inhabiting South Africa and remarkable for having but four toes 

 and teeth of an insectivorous type. The food consists of small 

 mammals, birds and insects and the animal is used by the 

 natives, as is the ichneumon elsewhere, to destroy vermin in 

 spite of a strong and to Europeans exceedingly offensive odor. 

 In addition to the above we may mention the mangue, Cynictis, 

 the binturong, and Arctitis. 



The Hycenidce, or hyaena family are a rather small group 

 although it was in the last geological age of relatively greater 

 importance. The living animals of this group are confined to 

 the warm portions of the Eastern Continent and are nocturnal 

 in habit. 



The external form is somewhat like that of a wolf but dif- 

 fers especially in the great and disproportionate development 

 of the fore legs. The head is large and the muzzle is short. 

 The pupil is round and the ears pointed. The feet have four 

 toes except in the Aard Vark or Earth Wolf of South Africa 

 which has five on the fore feet. Progression is plantigrade 

 and the claws not retractile. All hyaenas, have anal glands 

 which emit an unpleasant smell and prevent the domestication 

 of tne animal. The lower jaw is very powerful and armed with 

 strong crushing teeth. Their milk and permanent dentition 

 are very different, the following being the formulae; milk denti- 

 tion f.|:|.g-=32, permanent detition f -\.| -\- The dorsal vertebrae 

 number 14 or 15. The Proteles, or Aard Vark, differs con- 

 spicuously from the true hyaenas especially in possessing 

 small weak teeth. This animal is little known but is very 

 retiring, burrowing with facility and possibly living largely 

 upon insects and reptiles. The milk dentition is of a more 

 carnivorous sort than the permanent set and furnishes evidence 

 that the present anomalous nature of the teeth is due to retro- 

 grade development. 



A third family the Cryptoproctidce, contains only the genus. 

 Cryptoprocta formed to include the Foussa of Madagascar 



