534 



MONtKJRAPUS OP NORTH AMERICAN RODENTIA. 



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liiilf (he totnl length of tlic body. There are other long, sicntlcr, bristly liairn 

 ill wcnk clumps iibout the ryes and ears, and a bunch of short antrorsc bris- 

 tles springs rn)in the chin. The eyes arc large and prominent, in life remark- 

 nlily sod and exiircssive, in striking contrast to the small and inconspicuous 

 ryes of the Geomi/ida; in consequence of the production of the muzzle, they 

 are situate much nearer to the ears than to the nose, and rathi'ir above a lino 

 connecting the tvo. The ears, similarly, arc large and "leafy", appearing 

 the more prominent because they rest upon the most protuberant part of the 

 skull. When pressed out flat, the auricle is nearly orbicular. In the natunil 

 state, the fore border is lurgely folded over, the duplication extending from 

 (he extreme root to the highest point of the ear, and representing about one- 

 third of the width of the ear. This fold causes a slight pointing of the ear. 

 The posterior border is more rounded than the anterior; and within its base 

 is developed a large, conspicuous, obtusely-angular antitragus, so broad that 

 its inner edge is extensively overlapped l)y the fold of the onterior border of 

 the auricle ; a fringe of long hairs springing from the base of the anterior 

 fold is directed backward over the antitragus; otherwise the auricle is closely 

 and completely pilous on both sides, the hairy clothing of the open part of 

 the concavity being heavier than that on the buck of the ear. 



The fore limbs are shortened, in sacrifice of locomotive ability to increase 

 of prehensile faculty. The arm and fore arm are stout ; the latter tapers 

 very abruptly and contracts to A delicate wrist and very small bond. There 

 are four perfect digits, and a rudimentory thumb ; the longer digits rather 

 exceed, even excluding their claws, the length of the hand pro|)er (meta- 

 carpus); the 3d and 4th ore approximately equal in length and longest; the 

 2d and 5th are successively reduced a little in length ; the 1st is a mere 

 stump; its claw is a knob; the other claws are well formed, slender, com- 

 pressed, acute, little curved, nearly as long as their respective digits. The 

 back of the whole hand is pilous, and longer hairs fringe the sides of the 

 digits; but the palm is naked, minutely tubercular throughout, these number- 

 less little elevations showing no recognizable special distribution. The hand 

 ends behind with an enormous smooth bulb, a little to the inner side, and 

 with a smaller external bulb, likewise smooth, separated from the main one 

 by a narrow hairy interval. 



The hinder limbs offer the opposite degree of development. While the 

 fore, from the elbow outward, is only a fourth of the total length, the corre* 



