1882,] PROF. ST.-GEORGE MIVART ON THE .«LUROIDEA. 135 



1. On the Classification and Distribution of the ^luroidea. 

 By St.-George Mivart. 



[Eeceived January 13, 1882.] 



The Proceedings of this Society contain three papers, of pro- 

 gressively increasing importance, on the classification of the order 

 Carnivora. The first of these is a paper by Mr. Waterhouse \ 

 wherein he proposes to divide the order into six coordinate families, 

 named by him CanideE, Viverridce, Felida, MustelidcB, Ursidce, and 

 Phocid<2. These divisions are based on cranial and dental cha- 

 racters. He associates Arctictis with Procyon, Nasua, Cercoleptes, 

 Ailurus, and the Bears in his Ursida: ; and adds in a note, " from 

 an examination of the external characters of Bassaris astuta it ap- 

 pears to me that it belongs to this group." As to the true Bears, 

 he remarks that they differ from the other terrestrial Carnivora " in 

 having a projecting process on the underside of the ramus, and situ- 

 ated a little in advance of the angle of the jaw. The same character 

 is also found in many Seals (Phocidce), which, in several other respects, 

 appear to approach the Bears." 



He expresses the opinion that "the Cats appear to bear the same 

 relation to the Mustelidce as the Dogs to the Viverrida." As to 

 the last-named family, he tells us " the Fiverridte have the same 

 general form of skull as the CanidcB, but differ in having the poste- 

 rior portion more produced ; the bony palate is carried further back ; 

 and the small back molar observable in the lower jaw of the Dogs is 

 here wanting." The Hycena he is " inclined to regard as an aber- 

 rant form of the Viverridte •,^^ adding, "in the general characters of 

 the cranium, and especially in the curved form of the lower jaw, it 

 differs considerably from the Cats, and approaches the Fiverras. 

 If, however, it be placed with the Viverridce, it will form an excep- 

 tion as regards its dentition, having only one true molar on either 

 side of the upper jaw. The ' carnassiere ' has a large inner lobe, 

 and in this respect also resembles the Fiverras, and not the Cats." 



The second paper I have referred to is that by the late Mr. H. 

 N. Turner -, wherein he refers to, and much further elaborates the 

 views propounded in, Mr. Waterhouse's paper, but objects to a 

 division of the order into six groups of similar rank. He divides 

 the terrestrial Carnivora into three primary groups, to each of which 

 he gives the rank of a family, namely (1) Ursidce, (2) Felidce, and 

 (3) Canidce. The first family he divides into the three subfamilies 

 Ailurina, Froci/onina, and Mustelina, classing Bassaris in the second 

 of these, and saying ^, " from the characters presented by the cra- 

 nium, I do net feel the slightest hesitation in referring this animal 



\ P. Z. S. 1839, p. 135. 



" " Observations relating to some of the Foramina at the base of the Skull 

 in Mammalia, and on the C'lassificatiou of the Order Carnivora," P. Z. S. 1848, 

 p. 63. 



3 Loc. cif. p. 81. 



