CHARACTERS OF THE PROCYONID.E. 415 



bacuta of this genus which I possess differ a little in length and 

 in the development of the terminal processes. One measures 

 65 mm., the other 60 mm. The former is narrower at the base, 

 but slightly thicker at the neck behind the two proximal pro- 

 cesses, and these are smaller, a little less salient, and directed 

 slightly less upwards. The baculnm is wider across them than 

 across the terminal processes, which project straight forwards and 

 converge slightly at their inner angles, so that the notch between 

 them is a nearly complete oval. In the shorter of the two the 

 proximal processes are larger and the terminal processes diverge 

 slightly from the middle line, so that the width across them is 

 equal to the width across the proximal processes, and the notch 

 between them is wider, and not narrower, at its mouth. 



Flower figured and described the baculum of Ailurus. Con- 

 forming to the size of the penis, it is relatively very short, being 

 only about an inch in length*. Its upper side is markedly con- 

 cave, owing to the slightly upturned apex and the rather strongly 

 elevated base. Its proximal half is flat below but compressed 

 and carinate above. The tip is a little expanded and truncated, 

 with rounded angles and only very obscurely bilobed, and there is 

 a short median groove on the upper side just behind the tip. 

 The epithet " spatulate " applied by Flower to the tip of the 

 specimen he examined, does not express the shape of the termi- 

 nation of the bone in my example. This bone measures about 

 23 mm. 



By the penis and baculum the genera may be distinguished as 

 follows : — 



a. Penis short, prepuce close to scrotum ; baculum sliort, its apex 



simple and upturned, its base with a high keel Ailurus. 



a'. Penis long, prepuce abdominal ; baculum long, not upcurled 

 apically, its base clavate, not strongly keeled. 

 b. Baculum ending in four short, radiating condyle-like branches. Potos. 

 b'. Baculum ending otherwise. 



c. Baculum curved downwards distally, its apes forming two 



rather deeply cleft condyle-like processes Procyon. 



c'. Baculum straight, or nearly so, distally, its apex at most 

 indistinctly bifid. 

 d. Baculum with expanded, flattened, subspatulate, indis- 

 tinctly bifid extremity Nasua 



(and ? Bassaricyon). 

 d'. Baculum with rounded apex. 



e. Two small condyle-like processes just behind the apex ... JentinMa. 

 e'. No accessory processes behind apex Bassariscus. 



The length of the penis and the position of the prepuce, two 

 very important points in the classification of the Carnivora, 

 are unknown in Ailuropoda. The Ursidse resemble the typical 

 Procyonidse in those characters ; and in all the species I have 

 examined the baculum is a long, stout, distally tapering bone, 

 with a simple termination. 



* That is to say about olie-third of the length of the baculum in Potos, a smaller 

 animal. 



