350 On the General Linsiiiig, Poiana, and Fossa. 



ancestor, and presumably not likely to be lost when once 

 acquired and eiaborattd. 



'i'lie three genera Linsang, Poiana, and Fossa, which are 

 without the scent-gland, 1 propose to allocate to the subfamily 

 Linsanginae, with the proviso that i^ossa, when better known, 

 may have to be eliminated therefrom, and placed by itself in 

 a subfamily, the FossiiwB. 



'J'he Linsanginse and the Eiiplerinse may be characterized 

 as follows : — 



Viverrids with no scent-pouch and the vnlva 

 tolerably close to the anus ; feet digitiofvade 

 and hairy down to the plantar pads, the 

 metatarsal pads being reduced or ab-eiit 

 and the carpal pads or pad much smaller 

 and narrower than the plantar pad. 

 a. Hallux and poUex with large digital pads 

 and close to the second digit; jaws long 

 and slender, teeth reduced in size, the 

 canines exceedingly small and the pre- 

 molars widely spaced Euplerina {Eupleres). 



a'. Hallux and pollex very short, with small 

 digital pads and set well above the second 



digit ; skull and teeth unmodified Linsangina. 



b. Feet with large digital pads, not im- 

 bedded in velvety hair ; claws at most 

 partially retractile, unguarded by lobes 

 of skin ; area between plantar and 

 digital pads naked or mostly so ; hallux 

 high above plantar pad, with accessory 



pad close to it Fossa. 



I' . Feet with small digital pads imbedded 

 in velvety fur; claws completely re- 

 tractile and probably guarded by skin- 

 lobes ; area between plantar and digital 

 Eads thickly liairy ; hallux scarcely 

 igher up than plantar pad, its acces- 

 sory pad (hailucal lobe) close to or 

 touching the plantar pad. 

 e. No metatarsal pads ; hailucal lobe of 



plantar pad small Linsang. 



c. A long, narrow, median metatarsal 

 pad, ending inferiorly in a bilobed 

 enlargement ; hailucal lobe of plantar 

 pad very large Poiana. 



EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. 

 Platf. XII. 



Fig. 1. Left fore paw of Poiana richardsoni (from dried skin) from the 

 Benito River (digits not separated), pi, poUical lobe of plantar 

 ]iad ; c, external lobe of carpal pad. 



Fig. 2. Left hind foot of same. )d., hailucal lobe ; wi^., metatarsal pad. 



Fig, 3. Right fore paw of female Linsang linsang from Sumatra (digits 



