Miscellaneous. 383 
which he figured in his ‘Ostéographie.’ He had the same opinion 
_as Bennett with regard to its affinities, 
_ M.A. Grandidier, in his travels in the south-east of Madagascar, 
obtained the skin and two skeletons of the animal; and the study of 
the adult dental system shows that Cryptoprocta cannot remain in 
the place assigned to it by Bennett. The Viverride are character- 
ized by the existence of two tubercular posterior molars in the upper 
jaw, and one in the lower jaw. In Cryptoprocta the upper jaw has 
only one of these teeth, and the lower jaw has none. 
The incisors are six in each jaw; in the upper jaw the outer ones 
are very strong, not so large as in the hyzenas, but equal in pro- 
portion to those of the genus Felis. In the lower jaw the space 
occupied by the incisors is very narrow ; and these teeth are arranged 
in two rows, the second clearly behind the others, as in the weasels 
and martens. This double row of incisors occurs also in some 
species of Felidee ; but in these the second row is in front of the 
others. 
The canines are large, pointed, very firmly implanted in the 
maxillary bones, and both in form and direction resemble those of 
the Felide rather than those of the Viverride. 
There are in each jaw five molars, placed as follows :— 
premolars 3, flesh-tooth 1, tubercular 4. 
This dental formula differs from that of the cats only in the presence 
of one additional premolar in the upper jaw and of two in the lower 
jaw. But it is to be remarked that this difference tends to be effaced 
by the advance of age, as the first premolar in both jaws falls out 
soon after its appearance, and, its alveolus being obliterated, there is 
no trace of it in old individuals. 
The flesh-teeth are trenchant and compressed so as to act like the 
blades of scissors, and thus have a perfectly feline aspect; the 
constant sharpness of their prehensile margin shows that they are 
employed only in cutting flesh. The upper flesh-tooth has a tubercle 
at its anterior inner part, much weaker and less marked than in the 
hyenas. The lower flesh-tooth has a lobe behind, analogous to but 
much smaller than that of the hyzenas ; nor does it present any trace 
of the inner tubercle which gives such a peculiar aspect to this tooth 
in the hyenas. 
The characters of the remainder of the skeleton are in accordance 
with those of the dental system, and enable the position of the genus 
Cryptoprocta to be determined from the consideration of the 
whole. Its dentition separates it clearly from all the Viverridz, and 
indicates an animal with more ferocious habits ; with one premolar 
less in the lower jaw (leaving out of consideration the deciduous 
teeth), the cranium would differ in nothing from that of the cats. 
But Cryptoprocta ferow is a perfectly plantigrade carnivore; and 
it must, therefore, be separated from the cats, notwithstanding the 
analogy of its dentition. The group of the Felidz is one of the 
most natural in the animal kingdom, and constitutes rather one 
_ great genus than a family ; and we should deprive it of its natural 
