266 THE TAYRA, GALERA, &c. 



are flat, and refemble thofe of man. His feet 

 are ftrong, and adapted for digging, The me- 

 tatarfal bones are long ; and he has five toes on 

 all his feet. His tail is long, and tapers to a 

 point. His body is oblong, and has a great re- 

 femblance to that of a large rat. He is covered 

 with brov^'n hairs, fome of which are longer 

 than ochers. This animal appears to be a Imall 

 fpecies of martin or polecat. Linnaeus imagi- 

 ned, that the black weafel of Brafil might be the 

 galera of Mr Brown ; and, indeed, the two de- 

 fcriptions afford fome reafon for the conjec- 

 ture*. Befides, this black weafel of Brafil is 

 likewife found in Guiana, where it is called 

 tayra \ ; and I fufped that the word galera is a 



corruption 



* Muftela atra collo fubtus mapula alba triloba. Habitat in 

 Brafilia. . . . Holmcns. Confer. Brown, Jam. 485. tub. 49- /^- !• 

 Galera, ftatura martis, at nigra, pilis rigidioribus, auriculae 

 rotundae villofae. Area ante oculos cinerafcens, maculae fub 

 medio collo non vero fub giila. Mammae pone iimbilicum 



quatuor. Nota. Mr Brown fays, that he faw only two 



paps on the lower part of the belly ; but the other two might 

 efcape his obfervation. He alfo fays, that the galera is found 

 in Guiney, and the black weafel in Brafil. But this affertion 

 ougiu not to Humble us ; for it happens daily, that Brafillan 

 animals are firft tranfported to Guiney, and afterwards pafs 

 for animals belonging to that country ; and vice verfa. I a- 

 gree, therefore, with Linnaeus, in thinking that the galera of 

 Mr Brown is the fame animal with the black weafel ol Bra- 

 fil. 



+ Muflela maxima atra, mofchum reddens. Tayra. Grofle 

 belette. This animal, by rubbing ilfelf againft trees, leaver 

 a kind of unfluons humour which has a ftrong odour of mulk ; 

 Barrere, Franc. Equin. p. 15 J. 



