526 DR. J. E. GRAY ON THE VIVERRID&. - [Nov. 85 
tail, in which it has uncommon strength.” M. F. Cuvier (Mém. 
Mus. ix. 46) doubts this fact ; but he is wrong, as any one may see 
by observing the living animal in the Zoological Gardens. 
Skull of young animal elongate. Teeth 36; canines slender ; 
grinders small and far apart; the false grinders, first and second 
conical, the third compressed; the flesh-tooth small, triangular, inner 
side rounded; tubercular grinder oblong, trigonal, with a rounded 
inner edge, larger than the flesh-tooth. Length of skull 4" 6!", 
of nose 1" 6! ; width of brain-case 1" 7'', of zygomatic arch 2" 4!"', 
In the adult skull, false grinders 3/, 3/, compressed, the third 
triangular; the flesh-tooth triangular, as broad as long, inner edge 
rounded, with the inner tubercle in the middle; the tubercular 
grinders small, the first triangular, somewhat like the flesh-tooth, but 
smaller, the hinder very small, cylindrical (Temm. Monogr. ii. t. 50). 
The skeleton agrees with Paradowvurus in the large number (34) 
of caudal vertebree, but differs from it in having a more plantigrade 
character in the bones of the feet (Temm. Monogr. ii. 307). 
M. Temminck (Monogr. ii. 308) proposed to arrange P. aureus of 
F. Cuvier with this genus, as it could not be classed with any other 
group, observing that it is described from a very young specimen 
not more than one or two months old; and he objects to species 
being described on such specimens. 
Tribe 8. PARADOXURINA. 
The hind part of the tarsus bald and callous. The tail cylindrical, 
hairy, very long, of many vertebrae, revolute. The frenum with 
a secretory gland. Head elongate. Orbit of skull generally 
only defined by a slight prominence above. Pupil linear, erect. 
This is an exceedingly natural group, well defined by its external 
characters and general appearance ; at the same time the form of the 
skull and the teeth of the different species present so great an amount 
of variation that, if one studied the skull only, one would be inclined 
to distribute them among several different tribes of Carnivora—an 
instance, among many, which shows the necessity of studying the 
animal as a whole, and of not devoting one’s attention more to the 
osteological than the external characters, or vice versd. 
The gland on the frenum, which is the peculiar character of the 
genus, was known to Pallas, who called the species Viverra herme- 
phrodita on account of it. It was redescribed and figured by Otto, but 
overlooked by F. Cuvier when he named the genus from a specimen 
with a distorted tail! 
««M. Temminck observes, “ Nom générique donnéd & tout hasard ~ 
par F. Cuvier, dont il faut se garder de ne rendre |’application stricte- 
ment applicable 4 aucune des espéces de ce groupe.” 
“« La forme et le pouvoir que M. F. Cuvier attribue a cette queue 
sont basés sur des observations faites sur un sujet soumis a l'état 
captif, mais ne sont nullement caractérisés pas moins spécifique- 
ment pour son Pougonne, notre Paradoxurus typus—la Marte des 
Palmiers du Buffon.””— Mon. Mamm. ii. 312. 
