238 Nipdlese Mammalia. [April, 



The form of this species is decidedly Musteline from the snout 

 to the tail ; and not merely the head, with its several external organs , 

 but the skull also hears a close resemblance to those of Martes and 

 Putorius. The anterior limbs, however, are decidedly fossorial, and 

 the hinder suited for walking in a subplantigrade manner : both wholly 

 unfitted for raptatory or scansorial purposes. 



Genus Gulo. Species new. 



G. Urva, mihi. Habitat, Central and Northern Regions. 



Urva of the Nipalese. 



G. Urva. Above and the sides jackal colour, or fulvous iron gray ; 

 abdominal aspect of the neck, chest, and belly, with the entire limbs, 

 dusky brown, a lateral band on either side the neck, from the gape to 

 the shoulders, white ; size and aspect of the preceding ; fur of two 

 sorts, and very abundant ; hair very long, and laxly set on ; quadran- 

 nulated with black and fulvous ; anterior and posterior extremities of 

 equal strength, and the nails simply ambulatory, being suited neither 

 to raption, scansion, nor digging ; for the rest, the general form of 

 the feet as in the preceding, 



P. S. The whole of the above animals were discovered by me 

 several years back (1823-1829), and might have been described much 

 sooner, had I not deemed it improper to hazard the multiplication of 

 imaginary species by characterising from one or two specimens. There 

 is not one of these species of which I have not procured several speci- 

 mens at all seasons, and either alive or just killed. The indications of 

 the catalogue are such as to entitle me to date from its publication 

 (originally in 1829). But, in truth, my object has been, and is, much 

 less to share in the scramble of nomenclators, than to ascertain the 

 habits and structure of species. 



Nothing is so vague at present as the true limits of species, and as 

 my first aim was rather to find resemblances than differences, so per- 

 haps it might wisely have been my last. 



If, however, any person who chances to lay hold upon a single 

 shrivelled skin, may forthwith announce a new animal, the real student 

 of nature must be content to leave what is called discovery to the 

 mere nomenclator ; and the science must continue to groan under an 

 increasing weight of fictitious species. 



B. H.H. 



