■" 316 MANIDID^. 



I add a few anatomical observations taken from Tickell and others. 



The tongue is 12 inches long, flattish or subcylindric, extensile, gener- 

 ally covered with a slightly viscid saliva. There is a strong opaque, nycti- 

 tating membrane. The right or pyloric side of the stomach is immensely 

 muscular, almost cartilaginous in structure, like the gizzard of a bird ; the 

 left side is thin and membranous. The cardiac and pyloric orifices are 

 approximate. The gall bladder is very large, as are the kidneys. The 

 penis is not apparent externally ; and the foeces are long, black, truncated 

 cylinders. 



242. Manis aurita. 



Hodgson. — Blyih, Cat. 554, olim M. javanica. 

 The Sikim Scaly Ant-eater. 



Descr. — Tail a little shorter than head and body, not quite so thick at the 

 base as the last, with 5 rows of scales about 20 in number in each row ; 15 

 to 17 rows of scales in a line on the back, most of them with a few whitish 

 hairs or bristles beneath them, especially in young individuals. Muzzle 

 very acute; ears conspicuous, large; all the anterior claws- large, especi- 

 ally the middle one, and the next outer ; posterior claws small. There is 

 a less marked difference in the size of the scales of the head and neck and 

 body than in pentadactyla, iu which the scales of the head are very much 

 smaller. 



Length of one, head and body 19 inches ; tail 15|. 



This species of Manis was described by Hodgson in one of his earliest 

 •papers, but it is not enumerated in either edition of the Catalogue of 

 Hodgson's Collections, whilst M. pentadactyla is given, a decision which 

 that gentleman appears to accept in the annotated copy of the new edi- 

 tion of his Catalogue, kindly forwarded to me. I suspect that it is rare 

 in Nepal, and that probably he did not procure it latterly, but he evident- 

 ly had both species before, when he named them respectively aurita and 

 inaurita, on the more or less prominence of the auricle, which character is 

 very evident in fresh specimens.* Blyth too had considered the few 

 specimens he had seen from other localities than the Himalayas, as the 

 M. javanica of authors. I procured one fine specimen near Daijeeling, 

 as well as other smaller ones, on examining which, in company with Mr. 



• Probably eome at least of Hodgson's specimenB at the British Musuem, or elsewhere, will turn 

 out to be this species. 



