CLASSIFICATION OF THE CARNIVOEA. 421 



fissure, one whicli rims along the upper margin of tlae 

 hemispliere, and one between these two. The corpus cal- 

 losum is long, and the anterior commissure well developed. 



There is a vmsmlus choanoides in addition to the usual 

 ocular muscles, and the rudimentary nictitating membrane 

 is said to possess a muscle. 



The tensor tympani arises from a deep pit above the pro- 

 montory, and its tendon passes dii-ectly outwards to the 

 malleus. 



The male is devoid of Oowper's glands. The penis has a 

 bone, and the glans becomes swollen dui-ing copulation, so 

 as to prevent the withdi'awal of the penis from the vagina 

 of the female. The ovary of the female is enclosed in a sac 

 of the peritoneum, and the uterus has long corniia. The 

 umbilical sac is di'awn out to a point at each end. 



The Dogs (including the Wolves, Jackals, and Foxes 

 under this head) form the most central group of the 

 Oarnivora, which may be termed the Cynoidea.* From 

 these the Bears, Weasels and Procyonidce depart, on the one 

 hand, and the Cats, Civets, and Hyaenas on the other. The 

 former group {Arctoidea) have the cavity of the bulla tym- 

 pani undivided by a septum. The paroccipital process is 

 not applied to the posterior wall of the bulla. The mastoid 

 process is widely separated from the paroccipital. The 

 condyloid foramen is not merged in a common opening 

 with the foramen lacerum posticum. The intestinal canal is 

 devoid of a ccecum. The large penis has a bone which is 

 not grooved ; there are no Cowper's glands, and the pros- 

 tate is small. 



In the latter group {Ailuroidea) the bulla tympani is large 

 and roujided, and the septum, which is rudimentary in the 

 Cynoidea, is so much enlarged as to leave only a narrow 

 apertui'e of communication between the two chambers. The 

 paroccipital is closely applied to the posterior wall of the 

 bulla. The mastoid process is often obsolete. The con- 



* See Professor Flower's important memoir on the Classification of 

 the Carnivora in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1869. 



