MAMMALIA. 687 



digit very short ; hind feet tetradactylous ; claws obtuse, rounded 

 above, large. Body covered with hair flat and grooved above, or 

 with flexile spines. Tail moderate or somewhat short, thinly 

 haired. 



Sp. Aulacodus Swinderianus, TEMMINCK Monogr. de Mammal, i. pp. 245 

 248, PL 25, Esq. Zool. sur la c6te de Gu.ine } pp. 170, 171; WATERH. 

 Mamm. H. PL 16; PETERS Reise, i. p. 138; in a great part of South 

 Africa and on the coast of Guinea. This animal has an affinity with 

 Hyslrix, and in its size deviates from the spined rats (Loncheres). 



Capromys DESMAR., Isodon SAY. Incisors smooth. Molars 



4 4 



j , destitute of roots, complex, with two folds external in the 



upper, internal in the lower, and one fold on the opposite side. Ears 

 moderate. Fore feet with a very short rudiment of thumb, the 

 claw truncated, and with four toes, hind feet pentadactylous. 

 Claws large, incurved. Tail moderate or long, covered thinly with 

 hair. 



Sp. Capromys Foumieri DESM., Isodon pilorides SAT Journal of the Acad. of 

 Nat. Sciences of Philadelphia, n. p. 330, Zool. Journ. I. London, 1825, pp.227 

 229, DESMAREST Mem. de la Soc. d'Hist. not. de Paris, i. 1823, pp. 43 

 60, Diet. univ. d'Hist. nat. PL 150 152 (Livrais. ill. No. i, Livrais. xv. 

 Nos. 5, 6, figure of the animal, its skeleton and skull) ; on the island of 

 Cuba. This genus has unmistakeable affinity with Myopotamus (see above), 

 and, like that genus, with Cavia also. On the anatomy OWEN gave a 

 detailed notice, Proceedings of the Zool. Soc. 1832, pp. 68 76, pp. 100 

 103. A smaller species with a longer tail is Capromys Poeyi GUERIN 

 Magas. de Zool. 1834, Mammif. PL 15, Iconogr., Mammif. PL 25, fig. 

 12, which does not appear to be different from Capromys prehensilis 

 POEPPIG. (I have not had an opportunity to consult the work of RAMON 

 DE LA SAGRA on Cuba.) On the island of St Domingo an allied species 

 occurs: Plagiodonta cedium, F. CUVIER Ann. des Sc. not., 2e Serie, VI. 

 Zool. 1836, PL 17, pp. 347 353. The folds of the molars are here placed 

 more obliquely ; the tail is short, scaly and naked. 



4 4 

 Habrocoma WATERH. Incisors narrow, smooth. Molars j j > 



destitute of roots, with crown of upper on each side sinuate inter- 

 nally with a fold of enamel, of lower with oblique folds describing 

 triangles with the apex forward. Whiskers very long. Ears large, 

 oval, somewhat naked. Fore feet tetradactylous, hinder pentadac- 

 tylous. Tail moderate, fusiform, covered with close hair. Body 

 covered by a dense fur of very soft hair. 



