OF THE TONGUES OF TPIE MAMMALIA. 143 



The lytta is well developed, and its histological characters 

 have been described by many aiithors, whose observations have 

 been collected by Oppel (23). In Ganis aureus it is continued to 

 the hyoid bone by a long, slender fibrous thread. 



The characters of the tongues of the Cynoidea are so similar in 

 many species that tliey cannot be used for purposes of classifi- 

 cation, as they can in the case of the ^luroidea. 



Section Arctoidea. 



The tongue is long, narrow and thin. The apex is rounded 

 and may or may not have a notch. Notches are absent in the 

 Mustelida? and ^luridse, but are well marked in some of 

 the Procyonidse and Ursidse. Minute conical paj>ilhe clothe 

 the apex, and the fungiform papillse in that region are small 

 in the Mustelidae and ^luridte. The apical conical papillae 

 are long and prominent, but the fungiform papillse are small 

 in the Ilrsidje. The apical fungiform papillae are lai^ge, hut the 

 conical papillse are small in the Procyonidse. The lateral borders 

 are acutely or widely rounded, but lateral organs are variable. 

 The conical papillae thereon lie flat in the Mustelidse, ^luiidaj, 

 and Procyonid^, but they stand up prominently in the Ursidse. 

 It was shown in a previous paper (30) that lateral projections are 

 present in Sus and the Cetacea. Median dorsal sulci are present 

 in many species, but they are very prominent in Mustela martes, 

 M. erminea, and some species of Ursus. Transverse ridges and 

 sulci are very well marked in Mustela erminea. The entire dorsum 

 is clothed with papillse which may be inconspicuous or very 

 prominent, and the conical papillae on the base may be much 

 larger, or smaller than those on the oral part of the dorsum. 



Girciomvallate Pajyillce : — The following arrangements exist : — 



1. One or more pairs of papillae in two converging rows which 

 do not meet, 



2. Several papillse in V-formation. 



3. Several papillae in a semicii'cle. 



The following list shows the arrangements observed by myself 

 and recorded by others : — 



Family Mustelid^. 



Mustela martes : — Two pairs of papillae. 



,, erminea : — Three pairs of papillse in Miinch's 27 



specimens. 

 Ictonyx zorilla : — A pair of papillse. 



Putorius vison : — Two pairs of papillse in three specimens. 

 Meles 7iieles : — Seven papillse in a semicircle (text-fig. 23) or five 



to nine papillse in a V. 

 Arctonyx collaris : — Eight papillse in a V. 

 Lutra vulgaris : — Yive or eight papillse in a V. 

 Me'phitis mephitica : — A pair of papil]£e. 

 Gonepatus proteus : — Five papillse in a V. 

 Galictis vittata : — Eight papillse in a V. 



