OF THE TONGUES OF THE MAMMALIA. 145 



they may stand up prominently. They are inconspicuous in 

 Mustela erminea, M. onartes, and some species of Ursus. They are 

 small, but obvious, in Meles meles, Lutra ^mlgaris, Arctonyx 

 collaris, Gcdictis vittata. Procyon lotor, and jElurus fidgens. They 

 are larger and more prominent in Nasua narica than in any other 

 Carnivore examined by myself. They have the usual arrange- 

 ment in clusters and rows of varying degi'ees of obliquity ; but 

 they usually stretch from the mid line to the lateral borders of 

 the tongue. Those at the posterior parts of the lateral borders 

 are very prominent in Cercoleptes caitdivolvulus, and may replace 

 the lateral organs. Taste- buds are present in the fungiform 

 papillae in many species. Papillse clavatfe are absent. 



Conical pajnllce cover the entire dorsum from the apex back to 

 the epiglottis, and they frequently form a ventral bounding zone. 

 But there is no trace of papillpe spinosse. The conical papillae 

 have the usual arrangement into apical clusters and rows of 

 varying degrees of obliquity. But their distribution according 

 to size differs considerably as follows : — 



1. Papillae on the oral part of the dorsum large, but those on 

 the pharyngeal part are small: — Mustela, Arctonyx, Galictis. 



2. Papillae on oral part small, but those on the pharyngeal 

 part large : — Nasua, Procyon, JEliirus, Ursus, Melursus, Ictonyx. 



3. Papillae small all over: — Meles. 



4. Papillae large all over : — Lutra. 



The papillae make the edges of the tongue rough in Mustela, 

 Lutra, and Nasua, but the edges are smooth in Meles. In Ursus 

 they stand up prominently on the apex of the tongue and the 

 anterior ends of the lateral borders. 



Lateral Organs : — There is considerable difference of opinion 

 as to their occui'rence- in the Arctoidea. Various authors have 

 described them in Mustela martes, Putorius vison, Procyon lotor, 

 Cercoleptes caudivolvulus, and several species of Ursus. I observed 

 no trace of these structures in Mxistela erminea, M. martes, 

 M. foina, Ictonyx zorilla, Mephitis mephitica, Conepatus proteus, 

 Meles meles, Lutra vulgaris, Procyon cancrivorus, Nasua narica, 

 jElurus fulgens, Cercoleptes caitdivolvulus, Arctonyx collaris, 

 Galictis vittata. Some small foliate clefts were seen in Procyon 

 lotor, Ursus maritiimcs, and Alelursus ur sinus. 



There is no trace of frenal lamellse, sublingua, plicfe fimbriatae, 

 or foramen caecum. Lymphoid nodules and the orifices of ducts 

 and pits are scanty on the base of the tongue 



The lytta is present, and it reaches its highest degree of 

 development in Cercoleptes caudivolvulus, in vs^hich it is long, 

 ligamentous and ensheathed. 



Suborder PINNIPEDIA. 



The tongues are shorter and wider than those of the Fissipedia, 

 and they taper more rapidly. 



Pkoc. Zooh. See— 1923, No. X, 10 



