1885.] DR. ST. G. MIVART ON THE ARCTOIDEA. 369 



obliquely truncated terminally, with inferior nostrils. There is not 

 only a median nasal groove, but there is also a vertical groove on 

 either side of it. Tail very short, but clothed with long hairs. 

 Ears with quite a rudimentary pinna ; a small vertical fold behind 

 the meatus. 



The palms and soles are naked. The claws are much longer on 

 the manus than on the pes ; the former are very long, but not quite 

 so long relatively as in Taxidea. 



There are 14 or 15 dorsal, 6 or 5 lumbar, 3 sacral, and 12 caudal 

 vertebrae. As to the relative proportion of parts with body, the 

 humerus is larger than in any other Carnivore, the next longest 

 being that of Ailurus. The tail is shorter than that of Arctonyx. 

 The skull is nearly relatively as long as that of Nasua. As in 

 Taxidea, the pectoral and pelvic limbs are of equal length. The 

 transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae are very short. The 

 I2th dorsal vertebra has its spine vertical. The scapula has its 

 postero-superior angle somewhat pronounced. The metacromiou is 

 very small, but a similarly directed process extends backwards from 

 higher up the spine to the scapula, as if the metacromion process 

 had slipped up. The humerus, however, has an olecranal as well 

 as a condyloid perforation. Both the pollux and hallux are very 

 well developed. 



In addition to the cranial characters already described by Prof. 

 Flower \ it may be noted that the palate has laterally a certain 

 swollen appearance, reminding us of Nasuu. The mastoid is much 

 swollen, but does not depend below the meatus auditorius externus. 

 As in Arctonyx so here, the paroccipital process is remote from 

 the bulla. As in Arctonyx, again, the muzzle has a Nasua-\\ke 

 aspect when seen in profile. The supraorbital is relatively, as well 

 as absolutely, smaller. Altogether the skull is Arctonyx-Mke, 

 because, though the bullae are more buUate, yet they are but slightly 

 bullate considering the small size of the animal. The zygomata 

 are weaker relatively than in Arctonyx. The meatus auditorius 

 externus is very large relatively. As in Arctonyx, there is no malar 

 postorbital process ; and the postorbital process from the frontal is 

 still more blunt than it is in that genus. As in Arctonyx, the 

 glenoid foramen is much posterior to the glenoid surface. 



The mandible has a larger and more oblique symphysis than 

 in any form yet described. It is larger even than in Eupleres, 

 and the two rami have anchylosed together. Moreover the sym- 

 physis is not only long, but also broad and conspicuous. The angle 

 is pushed up, as in Arctonyx, with a strongly everted margin run- 

 ning down from it to the place of the subangular process, and seem- 

 ing to represent a toughened tract which exists in Arctonyx, 



Molar formula = P. \, M. \. 



The incisors are exceptionally broad relatively. The grinders are 

 formed quite on the Arctotiyx type, though their cusps are generally 

 more acute, and the first upper true molar is relatively smaller and 



' P. Z. S. 1869, p. 12. 



