1885.] DR. ST. G. MIVART ON THE ARCTOIDEA. 361 



Cynogale is 14"0, while in Lutra the relative dimension may 

 descend to 10"5. The snout is upturned towards its tip, and the 

 interorhital surface is swollen and convex, thus recalling to mind 

 the form of the skull of Ailurus. The infraorbital foramen is very 

 low down and distant from the orbital margin, and the maxilla forms 

 but a very small bony floor to the orbit. The palate does not 

 project back quite so far as the posterior ends of the last upper 

 molars. The mastoid process is very large and lamellar. The 

 glenoid fossa is enormously broad. The condyloid foramina are 

 very small. The bulla is moderately swollen, as in Ailurus, but very 

 small relatively. There is a glenoid foramen, more or less hidden, 

 but no alisphenoid canal. The mandible is very like thtiio^ Ailurus, 

 with a very high coroiioid process, a small angle pressed upwards, 

 and no subangular process. 



Molar formula, P. 3, M. -. 



The premolars are two-rooted, except the first upper premolar, 

 which is very minute. The second has three lobes, whereof the 

 median is very much the largest. The third has three external and 

 three internal cusps, with a sixth very small accessory cusp between 

 the antero-internal and the antero-external cusps. The fourth pre- 

 molar has three external and three internal cusps, with a minute 

 accessory cusp between the two internal cusps and an internal 

 cingulum. The first upper true molar, which has a square grinding- 

 surface, has two great external cusps, with a rudimentary tubercle 

 in front of the more anterior of the two ; also two large internal 

 cusps and a very distinct internal cingulum. The second upper 

 true molar is a most exceptionally formed tooth, having a grinding- 

 surface covered with a great many minute prominences at its hinder 

 part, with two distinct and large external tubercles, and at least one 

 internal tubercle at its anterior part, the whole being bordered within 

 by a very distinct internal cingulum. 



The three inferior premolars increase in size equally and pretty 

 regularly fi-om before backwards, and the crown of each has three 

 tubercles, the median tubercle becoming less predominant as the 

 accessory tubercle increases in size from the first to the third pre- 

 molar, those of the third being nearly equal-sized. 



The first lower true molar is like the corresponding tooth of 

 Ailurus, with slight superadded complications, with a large antero- 

 internal cusp, and only a single undivided postero-internal cusp. 

 The second molar is only quadricuspid, with no posterior tubercle 

 or talon, because there is here a third molar. This last tooth is 

 a large, flattened, rounded tooth, with an irregular surface. The 

 brain bears a large ursine lozenge \ 



Bassaris'. — This is a small American Arctoid genus, of slender 

 form, with somewhat digitigrade feet and slender muzzle, but which 



' See the paper on the convolutions before referred to, p. 12. 



^ There are two species — B. astuta from Ohio, Oregon, Texas, California, 

 North Mexico, and Vera Cruz ; and B. sumichrasti, from the mountains of Mexico, 

 Central America, and Costa Eica. See Biol. Centr. Am. Mammalia, p. 71, pi. vii. ; 

 Abb. Ak. Berlin, 1827, p. 119; (Wagler,) Isis, 1831, pp. 423 and 513; Water- 



