Royal Society. 25'r 
contradion, as it does in walking ; but that they might be better 
defended from injury, at the fetting on of each toe, there is in 
the palms a protuberant, flelhy, and almoll cartilaginous body • in 
feeding it makes ufe of the fore-feet to bring the food to its 
mouth, as the monkey and Iquirrel-kind do j the tail was without 
hair, except for a little way near the fetting on, and tapering 
from the root towards the tip, it was covered With a regular or- 
der of fhiall whitifh fcales, which for the mod part were oblong 
hexagons 5 between each there was obfervable a fmall fkin or 
membrane, in which they are fixed 5 the colour of the fcales 
makes the tail appear whitifli, tho* the fkin ieem of a darker co- 
lour; the ears were alfo bare and withont hair; and tho* loft 
and flender, and in colour and fubftance almoft refembling the 
membrane of a bat's wing, yet they are ereil:, and of an oval 
figure : Dr. 'J'yfon could not perceive that cartilaginous body, 
which is ufually to be met with in the ftru61:ure of this part; lb 
that if It had any, it was at leafl much finer than in moft other 
animals ; the Concha^ or paffage to the ^orus aiiditonus^ was 
very capacious ; but it was oblerved, that when our fubje6i: began 
to grow ill, the verge or rim of the external ear feemed to be 
crimpled ; and when dead, it was flirivelled up in fuch a man- 
ner, as if burnt, not forming a fmooth but a jagged edge : The 
upper jaw was Ibmewhat longer than the under; the noftrils were 
large ; the eyes black, imall, vivid, and exerted when alive, 
and very much funk, when dead: The neck was fliort, and the 
breaft broad; it had muftacio's like a cat; the fur upon the fan 
was fliorter and whiter than the reft of the body ; on the back 
and fides it was of an afh -colour, or dappled with black hairs in 
fpots, intermixed with white, efpecially on the back; on the 
belly it was more of an amber colour, and of a darker colour on 
the legs; the longeft hairs, which were ftronger and coarler than 
the reft, mealured three inches, they were white towards the 
ends; but perhaps the furr may vary in different fubjefls : At the 
bottom of the belly, in the middle between the two hinder legs 
is oblerved a flit or aperture, moderately extended, about 2 inches 
long, but capable of a greater extenfion, by dilating it with the 
fingers, even when alive ; the animal can fo exactly dole and 
contrad it, that the eye does not readily difcovc: it 5 there is on 
each fide of this aperture a reduplication of the ilin inwards, 
which forms a hairy bag; but tlie hairs here are lb thinly let, 
that almoft every where you may obferve the Ann: All authors 
agree, that the ufe of this bag, pouch, or Mcirftipmn^ is to 
prelervc its young, and fecure them againft any danger; and the 
I i 2, con- 
