230 



PANDA. FAMILY PHOCID.E. 



Fio. 115. AiLimi's on I'ANUA. 



These genera are represented in the Old World by the Ailurus 

 or Panda (Fig. 115), which is an inhabitant of the Himalayan 



ridge; it is evi- 

 dently adapted to 

 a cold climate by 

 its thick covering 

 of fur, which con- 

 sists of a woolly 

 undercoat, with 

 long soft hair 

 overlying it. 

 200. TheCER- 



COLEPTIDJE, or 



Kinkajous, form a small group nearly allied to the aberrant 

 Ursidae. They are of small size, and inhabit the tropical parts 

 of America, feeding upon small birds and mammalia, insects and 

 fruit, in search of which they climb trees with great agility. 



201. The animals of the family PHOCID^E, or Seal tribe, 

 which form the order PINNIPEDIA of many modern Zoologists, 

 are, of all four-limbed Mammalia, those which display the most 

 complete adaptation to residence in the water. We have seen 

 an approach to this in the Otters, especially in the marine species 

 ( 197); but it is carried much further in the Seals. The body 

 is elongated and conical, tapering from the chest to the tail, 

 the pelvis being so narrow as not to interrupt the gradual 



FJO. 116 SEAL. 



decrease. The spine is provided with strong muscles, which 

 bt-nd it with considerable force ; and this movement is of great 



