464 Dr. SiMiTii's Description of two Quadrupeds 



partial intermixture of a black or blackisli-brown sort. A dirty 

 tawny-white, or rather tawny-gray, occurs also on the back and 

 sides, but is in those places less distinctly observed in conse- 

 quence of the number of large irregular l)lackish spots, or trans- 

 verse oblique stripes, which in some specimens are of so great a 

 size and so closely set that their colour may be considered as the 

 ground one, and the lighter hues only as variegations. The root 

 of the tail is a dirty tawny, and the tip, or indeed the greater 

 part of its length, bushy and black, with a slight intermixture of 

 white hairs, and the whole measuring about eight inches in 

 length. Outsides of the legs dirty-white crossed by a number 

 of narrow nearly straight deep black bands, which are regularly 

 wanting on the insides. Feet dirty-white and without variega- 

 tions, each with four toes, and each toe with a short strong 

 claw. 



From an early age, the great length of the hair formed a 

 very striking feature in the appearance of the captive speci- 

 men ; yet 1 nevertheless felt inclined to view it as an example 

 of the common striped species, and was disposed to attribute 

 for a time the length of the covering to the circumstance of the 

 animal's confinement. Recent examinations, however, of seve- 

 ral others of a similar description, all of which had passed their 

 early, and some of their mature, years in a state of nature, have 

 proved, that the peculiarity alluded to did not depend upon the 

 change of situation, but was common to it under all circum- 

 stances, and therefore with other characters has led me to regard 

 it as a distinct species*. 



In its manners, habits, and disposition, it agrees with the 

 spotted sort ; but from an inferiority of physical powers it is a 



* I have no means of ascertaining tlic Il.ftisca of Geoffroy St. Hilaire ; at any 

 rate the description of that species does not correspond with ours. 



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