ORDER CARNASSIER. 395 



vemarkable for two tubercles on its internal face. There 

 are five toes on each foot, the thumb is very short, and 

 apparently useless. All these toes are armed with strong 

 and crooked claws. The sole is naked, and covered with 

 a very fine and delicate skin. The eye has a long trans- 

 versal pupil, but no other particular character. The nose 

 passes&the lower jaw, but is not mobile. The tongue is 

 rough like that of Cats. The walk of this animal is com- 

 pletely digitigrade, though occasionally, in standing, it rests 

 on the entire tarsus. 



Some differences from the Civets, fyc, which form the 

 ground of our author's subdivision of the viverrse, are obser- 

 vable in the anal pouch of the Ichneumon. In them this 

 appendage is found below the anus. In the Ichneumon, 

 on the contrary, the common integuments, elongated and 

 folded over, form, beyond the sphincter muscle, a sack, 

 which the animal can open or shut at pleasure. 



The colour of the Ichneumon is a deep brown picked out 

 with dirty white. The tail is terminated by a tuft of hairs 

 entirely brown. The Ichneumon is about one foot three 

 inches in length, and the tail an inch longer. The mean 

 stature of the animal is about eight inches. 



The Ichneumon was well known to the ancients; but 

 they have mingled so many fables with their recitals of it, 

 and their authorities on the subject are so very contra- 

 dictory, that little can be collected from their writings with 

 any certainty concerning the natural history of this animal. 

 The moderns have also been long acquainted with the 

 Ichneumon. From Belon we have had its first description 

 and figure. Afterwards, it was confounded with the other 

 Mangoustes, and little reliance can be placed on the figures 

 which have been given of it, and which are also so gene- 

 rally incorrect, as to convey no idea whatever of the ani- 

 mal. Buffon's is tolerably good, but the best is that of 

 Marechal. 



Vol. II. 2 E 



