130 DR. C. F. SONNTAG ON THE ANATOMY 



small conical and fungiform papillse, but these do not stand up 

 prominently. And there' is in no case a large cluster of promi- 

 nent fungiform papillse containing large taste-buds, such as are 

 present in the Primates. The lateral borders are rounded, but 

 lateral orj^ans are variable. They have many backwardly-directed 

 conical papillaj ; these usually lie flat in the Feli<lse, but they 

 stand up prominently in some of the Yiverridae. No lobules are 

 present such as occur in the Cetacea. 



The oral and pharyngeal parts of the tongue can be easily dis- 

 tino-uished from one another when the vallate papillse form a V 

 or a triangle, and when there is a marked contrast between their 

 conical papillse. It is, however, difficult to distinguish them when 

 the vallate papillte form rows which do not meet, and when the 

 conical papillae maintain the same characters from the apex back 

 to the epiglottis. The papillose base of the tongue is close to the 

 epiglottis in all ^luroidea except Felis leo and F. onca, in which 

 an extensive, smooth tract of mucous membrane intervenes 

 between the base of the tongue and the epiglottis. 



The conical papillas in the Felidfe, Hyasnidse, and Proteles, 

 have thick, sharp or rounded, horny sheaths, which can exert 

 a powerful mechanical action on the food. This character is 

 less marked in many of the Yiverridee. In some of the papillse 

 in Proteles cristatas they form blunt caps for rounded papillse 

 (text-fig. 21). 



Median dorsal sulci and transverse dorsal ridges and sulci are 

 absent. And there is no trace of fi'enal lamella^ sublingua, plicae 

 fimbriatee, or foramen caecum. 



Oircumvallate Papilla} (text-fig. 15), The following patterns 

 are present : — 



1. A pair of papillse. 



2. Two or more pairs of papillae arranged in converging rows, 

 which do not meet in an apical papilla. 



3. Three papillse in a triangle with the apex behind. 



4. Several papillse in V-formation. 



5. Papillse form a double V. 



The converging rows and the V can be regarded as incomplete 

 or complete chevrons. There is no trace of T or Y types, or of 

 fields of papillse. And in no case were papillse absent. It will 

 be seen that pairs of papillse are present in the Felidse, Hysenidse, 

 and Proteles, but all types exist in the Yiverridse. As some 

 tongues have no lateral organs, and few fungiform papillse with 

 taste-buds, the vallate papilla are frequently the main gustatory 

 organs. 



It may be difficult to count the number of papillse, for they 

 are sometimes very small and inconspicuous, or concealed by 

 overhanging conical papillse. They may be all equal or unequal 

 in size.. They are circular, oval or dumbbell shaped when 

 viewed from above, and they are cylindrical or conical on elevation. 

 One or more may be included in one fossa. The vallum and 



