2, ‘ 
characters more fully than any other author. He points out the 
fact that in some of the species the orbits are closed behind, 
and in others open. He first examined into the manner of the 
contraction and closing of the pupil in the presence of light, and 
pointed out the fact that in the large cats it is always round and 
approximates a point in closing, while in the smaller forms the 
pupil closes as a vertical slit. He shows that the cats of the 
former group have the smaller orbits of the cranium, and the lat- 
ter the larger. Dr. Gray, however, uses other characteristics in 
the discrimination of the genera, which are, in my estimation, 
quite inadmissible; as the relative length of the muzzle and of 
the premaxillary bones; also of the hair on different parts of the 
body and tail. Such features of proportion are essential as 
characters of species, but not of genera. In accordance with 
these views, I have united several of Dr. Gray’s divisions into 
groups, which I call genera, and which repose on some definite 
structural characters. Thus I combine his Uncia, Tigris, Leo and 
Leopardus into a genus for which I employ his name Uncia, as the 
least objectionable,’ after having confirmed by autopsy the circu- 
lar character of the pupil. This I was enabled to do through the 
courtesy of my friend Arthur E. Brown, Superintendent of the 
Philadelphia Zoological Garden, who aided me in examining the 
eyes of these animals both by sumight and the light of a bull’s- 
eye lantern.” The detailed characters of the genera will now be 
given :— ; 
J. The anterior and lateral faces of the mandible separated by 
an angle. 
o. Inferior sectorial with a heel; no anterior lobe of supe- 
rior sectorial; no posterior lobes of the premolars. 
* An inferior tubercular molar. 
Premolars 3. Dinictis. 
Premolars 2. Nimravus. 
1 T assume that this name is derived from wnews, a hook, which is appro- 
priate to the weapons of these animals. 
27 add the following notes on some other Carnivora, which do not 
come within the scope of this paper :— 
Hyena crocuta. Pupils a vertical slit. 
Viverride. Three species of Ichnewmon and Viverricula, a horizontal 
oval. 
Nasua. A horizontal oval. 
