416 Zoological Society. 



to the Cats ; in all the characters common to the Cats and Civets 

 the Hyaenas also agree. However, if these three groups be united, 

 as I think would be justified by the characters, the difficulty in a 

 great measure will be overcome. Three subfamilies will then con- 

 stitute the family Felidce ; the Felina are characterized by the absence 

 of the ali- sphenoid canal, the very minute size of the canalis caro- 

 ticus, the absence of the foramen glenoid eum, the auditory bulla 

 having but little or no trace of division, and the molar series consisting 

 of only three premolars and one true molar on each side above, and 

 two premolars, with one true molar, below. The next subfamily, 

 HycBnina, presents, as I have just before pointed out, the same cranial 

 characters as the Cats, but it differs, as is well known, in the den- 

 tition. The largest subfamily of the FelidcB, the Viverrina, possess 

 in general the ali-sphenoid canal, and sometimes a minute foramen 

 glenoideum; the auditory bulla is more or less distinctly divided 

 into two portions ; the canalis caroticus is of average dimensions, 

 although not always completely enclosed, and is placed towards the 

 anterior part of the bulla, and the artery, after having passed through 

 the canal, shows itself externally before finally entering the cranium : 

 the dentition is on each side usually four premolars and two true 

 molars, both above and below. The very singular genus Proteles has 

 the cranial characters common to the Cats and Hyaenas : from the 

 dentition, so singularly modified by arrest of development, but little 

 evidence of zoological affinity can be adduced ; I should therefore be 

 rather inclined to consider it a modified Hyaena, since in the external 

 characters it so closely resembles the animals of that genus. 



The Dogs, or the subfamily Canina of Mr. Gray, remain, and I 

 think must constitute a separate family Canidce ; they all agree pre- 

 cisely in those cranial characters which I have pointed out, and not- 

 withstanding the variation in the number of the true molars, do not 

 seem to admit of division into subfamilies. It is rather remarkable 

 that in the different genera of this family we find precisely the same 

 variation in the number of the true molars as in the subfamilies of 

 the UrsidcB ; as, setting aside the genus Otocyon, in which they are 

 developed, w^e may almost say, beyond their normal number, there 

 are two above and three below in the genera Canis, Vulpes, Nycte- 

 rentes, and Lycaon, as in the Ursina, two above and ttvo below in the 

 genus Cyon, as in the subfamilies Ailurina and Procyonina, and 

 only one above and two below in Cynalicus, which is the number found 

 in the Musteline group. This being the case, on first looking at the 

 imperfect skull of the Cynalicus in the British Museum, which un- 

 fortunately exhibits only the anterior portion, I was led for a moment 

 to suspect that the true place of this remarkable genus might be 

 among the Weasels, and was the more led to this idea from the cir- 

 cumstance that the animal, in proportions and in colouring, bears a 

 remarkable resemblance to the Galera harbara, also an inhabitant of 

 South America ; but on more attentive examination I perceived, that 

 not only did the last molar resemble precisely the penultimate in the 

 Dog, but sufficient remained of the skull to show, in the form of the 

 pterygoid appendage, and the presence of the ali-sphenoid canal, 



