396 DR. ST. G. MIVART ON THE ARCTOIDEA. [Apr. 21, 



Comparison of the Arctoidea with the other Fissipedal 

 Carnivora. 



It would be superfluous to here again refer to the cranial or genital 

 characters which differentiate tlie three suborders of the Carnivora. 

 As to the dentition, the Arctoids alone of the existing forms present 

 us in one genus with but four lower incisors, a condition also cha- 

 racteristic of the extinct ^luroid Eusmilus. They alone afford 

 examples of upper true molars, which are broad and formed for 

 crushing, and only in them do we find a fourth lower premolar, which 

 is broad posteriorly. The dentition may nevertheless be extremely 

 sectorial or more formed for crvishing than in any other Carnivore ; 

 but the teeth are never so rudimentary as in Proteles. Only in 

 them {Grisonia) do we find as many as sixteen dorsal vertebrae. 

 They possess a brain which has a definite character in the almost 

 constant presence of a dorsal patch limited incompletely by crucial 

 and precrucial grooves, which have been called the " Ursine 

 lozenge." While perineal glands are absent, we occasionally find a 

 new glandular structure — a subcaudal gland, as in Meles and Tax- 

 idea. 



Less exclusively terrestrial than the Cynoids, they are never so 

 arboreal as are some of the ^luroids ; but they present us with 

 more fossorial genera, and with others perhaps more definitely modi- 

 fied for aquatic life than is the iEluroid Cynngnle. 



As to the coloration of this group, the Arctoids have frequently 

 longitudinal markings, often of black and white, while they never 

 show the spots or transverse bands which are found in many iEluroids. 



All the Arctoidea are pentadactyle. There is a great difference 

 between the Arctoidea and the other Carnivora as regards the 

 vertical median nose-groove. Very rarely absent in the ^Eluroids, it 

 is, as we have seen, absent in a good many genera of Arctoids, and 

 sometimes, as in Ursus, present or absent in different species of 

 the same genus. Only in the Arctoids, but almost always in them, 

 the crucial and precrucial sulci define an " Ursine lozenge " on the 

 surface of the cerebrum. 



Distribution of the Arctoidea. 



This suborder extends all over the world except Australia, New 

 Zealand, New Guinea and adjacent islands, Polynesia, Madagascar, 

 the Antilles, and the Antarctic region. 



The Procyonidce are exclusively New- World forms, the AiluridcB 

 are exclusively Asiatic. The Musfelidce and VrsidcB are cosmo- 

 politan within the range of the suborder. The majority of the 

 species and genera belong north of the equator. 



No genera except Ursus, Gvlo, Mitstela, Putorius, and Lutra 

 are common to the Old and New Worlds, and no species are 

 common to them save Gulo luscus, Putorius vulgaris, Putorius 

 erminea, and U7-sus marititnus. The genera common to Asia and 

 Africa are Miistela, Putorius, Lutra, Ursus, Mellivora, and Aonyx. 

 The genera peculiar to Africa are Ictonyx and Poecilogale. The 

 genera peculiar to Asia are Ailurus, Ailuropus, Helictis, Jrctonyx, 



