1878.] GENERATIVE ORGANS OF BY^NA CROCUTA. 417 



recurved spines, which diminish in size toward the margin of the 

 prepuce and are altogether absent on its free corrugated portion. 

 The urethral aperture is smaller and less dilatable than the corre- 

 sponding opening in the female. The prepuce, consisting of a thick 

 double fold of integument of a bluish colour externally and flesh- 

 coloured internally, is thrown iuto well-marked circular rugae and is 

 attached by a distinct frsenum to the under surface of the base of 

 the glans. When retracted it is continuous with the surface of the 

 latter. In the female the frsenum is attached, not to the base of 

 the glans, but to the inferior lip of the urino-genital canal. 



Perineum. — The perineum, from the inferior border of the scrotum 

 to the base of the free portion of the penis, measures 4 inches in 

 length, a measurement which agrees exactly with that of the corre- 

 sponding region of the female. The integument, like that of the 

 prepuce is of a bluish colour, smooth, and devoid of hair with the 

 exception of a space immediately behind the free portion of the penis, 

 which space is covered with down of a light yellowish colour, the 

 hairs being directed forwards. It is worthy of note that this area 

 in the male corresponds exactly with that which in the female is 

 studded with the little depressions described in my paper on the 

 genital organs of that sex. And here I would take the opportunity 

 of correcting an error into which I unwittingly fell in that paper. I 

 refer to the statement contained therein that the integument of the 

 female perineum is thrown into longitudinal rugse. These, as the 

 accompanying drawing shows, are altogether absent in the male in 

 the recent state of the parts, and only manifest themselves subsequent 

 to their immersion in alcohol. As the female organs had been sub- 

 jected to this treatment previous to their examination, I have little 

 doubt that in their natural condition these parts present the uniformly 

 smooth appearance I have just described in the male animal. The 

 presence of these folds in the female, moreover, induced me to hazard 

 the conjecture that they might represent in H. crocuta the labia of 

 other carnivora. This supposition is now no longer tenable, as the 

 examination of the male perineum has led me to conclude that the 

 homologues of the labia are not to be sought in the longitudinal 

 perineal folds just referred to, but rather in the cutaneous elevations 

 described in my former paper under the name of " scrotal pouches." 



Scrotum. — The scrotum is non-pendulous, and resembles that of 

 the Felidse proper. It is situated one inch below the margin of the 

 anus ; and its division into two is indicated externally by a shallow 

 groove. Each half is about the size of a small walnut ; and the 

 surface of each is covered with hair of a light brown colour. It is 

 interesting to observe that this description corresponds almost exactly 

 with that of the so-called "scrotal pouches" of the other sex, the 

 only difference being that in the male the scrotum is slightly more 

 prominent than the " scrotal pouches " of the female. 



Anus and Anal-gland Pouch. — The anus is situated one inch above 

 the scrotum ; and between the former and the root of the tail is a 

 pouch similar to that which is found in the female. The interior of 

 the pouch is smooth and devoid of bair, except the roof, which is 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1878, No. XXVII. 27 



