On the Civet of the continent of India, 53 



opened chiefly "(to the front with a narrower curved fissure 

 to the sides ; eyes midway between the snout and ante- 

 al base of the ears, somewhat oblique : rather prominent, 

 largish, dark, with variable pupil ; the third lid capable 

 of being brought entirely over the eye ; lips ad pressed, 

 and furnished with long firm mustachios : lesser tufts above 

 each eye, two behind the gape on the cheeks on either 

 side, and one under the chin, nine in all : ears moderate, 

 ovoid, longer than wide, placed rather high up, and yet 

 remotely from each other ; the helix anteally having 

 but a moderate attachment to the sides of the head,* 

 fissure on posteal edge of helix small and simple ; tragus 

 small, but palpable ; antitragus less so, one small salient pro- 

 cess on the superior margin of the couch, helix freely ex- 

 serted from the scull, and capable consequently of free lateral 

 motion ; softly furred behind and on the margin before or 

 within ; the couch and auditory passage hid by longer soft 

 hairs springing from the anteal and attached portion of the 

 helix : neck and body moderately elongated and full, espe- 

 cially towards the buttocks ; tail rather more than half the 

 length of the animal, furred like the body, thick, and gradu- 

 ally tapering from the base ; limbs short, fine, strictly digiti- 

 grade, five-toed before and behind, the two centrals longest 

 and equal ; the two laterals shorter and equal ; the fifth or 

 thumb very small, but not elevated, being placed close to the 

 edge of the main rest or pad of the foot, and touching 

 the ground with its own little pad ; toes short, and con- 

 nected by a furred membrane to posteal edge of terminal 

 pads, which are soft and nude : main pad trigonocordate, 

 full soft, nude, and extending forwards to ends of first 

 phalanges of the digits : a small metacarpal tuberosity 

 behind the limb ; but no metatarsal one : nails or talons 



* In Viverrula the helix is carried forward toward the eye so that the 

 ears are brought near to each other. 



