OTOCYON MEGALOTIS. 203 



It is very interesting that, in spite of its singular divergence from the 

 rest of the Canidte, its caecum is formed completely like that of the 

 typical Dogs*. 



The general colour is a brownish or iron-grey, variegated with 

 yellow. The upper surface of the head and neck and the shoulders 

 and outside of the thighs are more slate-colour with black and yellow 

 intermixed. The throat and breast are occasionally very pale, sometimes 

 whitish grey, sometimes buff-colour. The outsides of the limbs are 

 more or less black. The tail is slaty grey, paler beneath, with a black 

 tip and seme other black marks on its dorsum, or at least many black 

 hairs forming a longitudinal stripe. The muzzle is blackish, the cheeks 

 grey. The ears are dark brown externally, bordered with black above, 

 and the tips are black ; they are bordered with white below, and have 

 whitish hairs within. 



There is, as usual in the Canictce, merely individual .variation. It 

 may be almost uniformly grey, and it may be of a tint a good deal 

 lighter than the specimen figured in our Plate XLV., which is one of 

 those in the British Museum. 



Habitat. Southern Africa. 



Centimeters. 

 Length from end of snout to root of tail ..... 56'0 



of tail 21-0 



from heel to end of longest digit 12*5 



of ear 10-0 



Cranial and Dental Characters. 



The skull of this animal seen dorsally has a considerable resemblance 

 to that of Canis virginianus f in the shape of the temporal crests and 

 raised sagittal area. The nasals extend backwards beyond the frontal pro- 

 cesses of the maxillae, and the postfrontal processes of both the frontals 

 and malars are well developed. The palate extends backwards beyond 

 the hindmost molars. The mandible has a very largely developed 



* See Garrod, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 376. 

 t See above, p. 89. 



2 D2 



