Characters o/Cryptoprocta. 423 



glans is unerected — is grooved and more or less folded, 

 sujigesting considerable capacity for expansion ; and these 

 folds are jjarticnlarly wcU-devclopcd on the anterior portion 

 in front of the constriction. The structure of this portion 

 is peculiar. In its posterior portion it forms a median 

 inferior angular flap, with the apex directed forwards, and in 

 front of this flap the swollen portion consists of a pair of 

 thick flaps or lamina; which are directed inferiorly and con- 

 stitute together a sort of half collar or half sheath round the 

 posterior continuation of the smooth portion of the glans. 

 These two thick flaps or lamina; are cai)ai)le of meeting in 

 the middle line inferiorly in front of the a|)ex of the 

 triangular flap or of being ^Yidely separated laterally. Their 

 inner surface sliows a few spicules near the margin, but for 

 the most part this surface is smooth, as also is the middle 

 of the axis of the glans which they overlap. The three 

 flaps, combined with the median axis of the adjacent portion 

 of the glans, enclose a space which is probably highly 

 glandular in the living animal (fig. 4, A-D). 



In the light of the facts recorded above, Milne-Ed wards's 

 description of the penis requires amplification and correction. 

 He speaks of the distal end of the penis, with its bone, as 

 forming a very pronounced projection in front and as passing 

 greatly beyond the orifice of the urethra. From this, in the 

 first place, it is quite clear that he did not detect this orifice 

 just beneath the tip of the glans where the bone ends; and, 

 in the second place, it is probable that he regarded the 

 channel between the axis of the glans and the two anterior 

 laminae of the spicular thickening as the orifice of the 

 uretlira. He did not, therefore, perceive that this thickening, 

 which he correctly designates " la portion renflee du gland," 

 consists of two separable laminse ; nor did he notice ap- 

 parently that the dorsal surface of the glans is smooth 

 almost throughout its extent in the middle line. 



Carlssou^s figure of the glans shows a somewhat cucumber- 

 shaped organ, the distal third of which is smooth and 

 apically pointed, and the })roximal two-thirds thick and 

 subcylindrical, but gradually thickening posteriorly and 

 uniformly covered with spicules. Since, however, the 

 examples of this genus she had for examination were 

 immature and preserved in alcohol, it is needless to com- 

 ment further on her brief contribution to this portion of 

 their anatomy. 



The significance of the penis in the classification of the 

 jEluroidea has never been properly appreciated, and since 

 the penis of Cryptoproctu has been compared with that of 



