l64 Major-General Ha ii dw i c k e's Description 



the projecting points of the posterior grinders. 'J'his character, 

 as far as our observation extends, is peculiar; it does not exist, 

 except in a small degree, in any other genus of carnivorous 

 quadrupeds. The truncation, carefully described in the generic 

 character, is owing, in our opinion, to original structure, and is 

 not produced by the wearing down of the points. We observe 

 it both in the skull of a young animal and in that of the adult 

 specimen, from which the annexed drawing was made ; and our 

 description is confirmed by a careful comparison of the relative 

 elevation of the points of the two anterior grinders, in which, 

 although they are equally exposed to attrition, this truncation is 

 not observed. The margins bounding the truncated points, as 

 is shown in the drawing, are circumscribed and perfect, exhibit- 

 ing no signs of being worn down by attrition. In the disposi- 

 tion and even in the form of the teeth, our animal bears some 

 resemblance to the genera Nasua and Procyon ; but these diti'er 

 essentially in the lengthened form of the head, and in the ex- 

 tended rostrum, which is terminated by a flexible rhinarium ; 

 they also dift'er in the number, character, and distribution of the 

 grinders. ?sasua and Frocyon have in both jaws six grinders, of 

 which the three anterior are false grinders ; and of those which 

 follow, none of the points, even in the adult state, exhibit the 

 truncation above described in the o;eneric character. Our ani- 

 mal has only one false grinder, with a compound crown, and the 

 four posterior grinders are large and highly complicated : the 

 first of these in the ujiper jaw corresponds with the fourth 

 grinder in Nasua and Frocyon, and the points are attenuated 

 and acute ; but the posterior grinders are quite peculiar and 

 characteristic in their structure. 



Its haunts are about rivers and mountain-torrents. It lives 

 much in trees, and feeds on birds and the smaller quadru- 

 peds. It is frequently discovered by its loud cry or call, resem- 

 bling 



