200 ORDER V. 



BANDED ORISON. 



PLATE XIV. 



(ralidis vittata. 



ABOUT a foot and a half long, and the tail six indies ; 

 the head long, thick, with prominent muzzle ; from 

 forehead to tail grey, hy the hairs being annulated 

 deep chocolate and white ; the anterior head, cheeks, 

 sides, limbs, and tail, black ; a broad white band 

 passing across the forehead above the eyes and 

 below the ears to the shoulders ; the grey on the 

 upper parts of the body increasing in whiteness with 

 age. The species resides in hollow trees, is active 

 in hunting birds and lizards, swims and is remark- 

 ably irritable. The white about the forehead we 

 have seen extended over the lips, nose, and around 

 the eyes, but not much beyond the ears. The spe- 

 cimen was not so large (13 inches, tail 7) as the 

 first described, with the black less distinctly sepa 

 rated from the liver colour, and another, of the same 

 proportions, was destitute of white, and similar to 

 the young, which are still entirely of a dull choco- 

 late grey, when they have already 8 inches in length. 

 It is the brown variety which may have served for 

 type to the Coaze of Buffon .* 



* That is, supposing the fore paws had five toes, otherwise 

 the animal is still doubtful, or unknown. 



