Ill 



September 11th, 1838. 

 Lieut. Col. Sykes, in the Chair. 



Some notes were read by the Chairman upon three skins of digi- 

 tigrade carnivora, which were on the table for exhibition : one of 

 these was a beautiful skin of the J guar a Guazu of Azara, (Cards 

 jubatus, Desm.) and the other two, those of the Felis Pardina, Temm., 

 in an adult and nonadult state. Respecting the first of these Col. 

 Sykes offered the following observations : 



" Azara in his preliminary notices of the two species of Cams, C. ju- 

 batus and C. AzartE, says, I prefer for the family the Spanish names 

 of Zorro or Fox to the Guaranese name Aguara, which also means 

 fox ; and he accordingly heads the notices with the words ' Zorros 

 or Foxes.' The C. jubatus, measuring 5 feet to the tail, and the tail 

 of which is 19 inches, is certainly a Brobdignag Fox. I mention 

 this circumstance in illustration of the fact, that Azara, in his classi- 

 fication, appears to have overlooked analogies. And this remissness 

 I hope will authorize me, without the imputation of presumption, in 

 venturing upon the remarks I am about to make. 



" The skin I put before the Society is that of Azara.' sCanis jubatus, 

 and as it and a fellow skin in my possession are the only specimens of 

 the kind in England (indeed I believe there are only two other speci- 

 mens in Europe, one in Paris, the other in Cadiz), and as it will most 

 probably have been seen but by few of the gentlemen present, I shall 

 be happy to find that its exhibition is acceptable. Azara states that 

 the Canis jubatus has 6 incisors in the upper jaw, then on either 

 side of a vacant space follow 2 canines and 6 molar teeth, three of 

 which, however, look more like incisors than molars ; the lower jaw 

 is in all respects similar to the upper, except that the interval is 

 wanting between the canine teeth and the incisors, and there is one 

 additional molar tooth ; in other respects the form and general cha- 

 racter of these animals are those of the Dog : they differ, however, 

 chiefly in being unsociable and nocturnal. The tail is much thicker 

 and more bushy, and they never raise or curl it ; the body and neck 

 are shorter and covered with longer fur ; the neck is also thicker ; the 

 hair too is thicker ; the eye is smaller, the face flatter ; the head 

 rounder and more bulky as far as the front of the eyes, where the 

 thick part diminishes more speedily and terminates in a sharper 

 muzzle, furnished with whiskers ; the ear is broader at its origin, 

 and thicker and stiff'er, and when they are on the look out they pre- 

 sent the hoUow part forwards and approximate their ears mucli 

 more than Dogs. They do not bark nor howl like Dogs, nor is their 

 voice heard often; in fact they so cry but seldom, and submit to be 

 killed without uttering a sound. Other discrepancies between his 

 two ' Zorros' and Dogs are added, but it is unnecessary to specify 

 them. I perfectly agree with Azara that he has afi"orded sufficient 



No. LXIX. — Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



