European Notices of Indian Canines. 207 



tioned by the highest authority ; and, as my term Cuon has 

 the merit of indicating clearly the natural position of this 

 new form, I consider it greatly preferable to Mr. Smith's 

 Chrysaus — a vague epithet, and one too, more strictly appli- 

 cable to the foxes and others, than to the wild dogs. With 

 regard to priority, my name and definition were published 

 in 1838, (in the Linnaean Transactions,) H. Smith's only 

 in 1839-40. H. Smith in defining the group has slurred over 

 the essential mark of a peculiar system of dentition : he has 

 likewise, (as already noticed,) mis-stated utterly the peculiar 

 mammary system. These two, on the contrary, I have, 

 since the period adverted to, always regarded, and stated as 

 the most essential diagnostics of the group ; and no one can 

 for a moment doubt their importance as compared with 

 colour of the feet, the relative fullness of the brush, and other 

 characteristics by which H. Smith defines it, and which, 

 by the way, are, quoad the type, inaccurate ; for the Canis 

 primcevus has not dark feet, and he has a very full brush. I 

 have lately procured some more young and mature speci- 

 mens of the Buansu or primaevus, and I find them all 

 characterised by fourteen mammae. I have lately procured 

 some more specimens of the pariar and jackall ; all which, 

 as well as my sporting dogs, I find possessed of ten mammae ; 

 whilst the former have as invariably molars I 6 as the 

 latter have molars 6 J. Since I called attention to this an- 



66 



omalous dentition, Col. Sykes has confirmed it in regard to 

 the Dukhan species, or Kolsun. Our author implies, rather 

 than asserts, that the fact has been determined with re- 

 gard to two more species, or scylax and ceylonicus. I 

 rely upon it, however, that this able writer has grounds 

 for what he would have us believe in reference to the 

 teeth of all these four species ; and it therefore remains 

 only to ascertain, whether in their mammary system as 

 well as their dental, the three others agree with our type, 

 or primaevus. 



