918 Asiatic Society. [No. 119. 



been taken out, and we have now, therefore, two examples illustrating different ages of 

 the skull of this highly interesting genus. It pertains to the restricted division of 

 Plantigrada, which have two true molars on each side of both jaws, posterior to the 

 carnassier, or scissor-tooth, a distinction serving, with other characters, to separate them 

 (as a different natural group) from the Badgers and allied forms, which latter, associated 

 with the Weasels and their allies, form another, equally distinct, that might be termed 

 Suhplantigrada : these have but one true molar in each jaw, posterior to the scissor- 

 tooth ; which latter is merely the hindmost of the false molars, and, as such, is re- 

 presented by a deciduary tooth in the young animal, which is never the case with true 

 molars. There are some genera in which the scissor-tooth can scarcely be determined 

 except by this test, and the Binturong is one of them. Both divisions here indicated 

 are distinguished from all the other Carnivora (Cuv.) by the absence of a caecum 

 coU, wherein they resemble the greater number of Insectivora (Cuv.) The ab- 

 sence of a caecum is, indeed, assigned by Baron Cuvier as a character common to the 

 whole of his Insectivora ; but M. M. Diard and Duvaucel had long previously to the 

 publication of the 2d edition of the Regne Animal, noted the existence of this viscus 

 in the genus Tupaia, Raffles ;* (Cladobates, F. Cuv. ; Glisorex, Blainville ; Hylogale, 

 Tern ;) and Dr. Andrew Smith has recently figured and described the ccecum with the 

 other viscera of his genus Macroschelides (or Erinomys, Blainv. ; Rhynomys, Lichten- 

 stein): it may be expected to exist likewise in the genus Gymnura, Vig. and Horsf. (or 

 Echinosorex, Blainv.), and also in the little known genus Eupleres oiDoyexQ, figured, not 

 long ago, in the Annales des Sciences Naturelles. The restricted Plantigrada consist of 

 seven genera, whereof one — the Bears (Ursus) — comprises numerous living as well as 

 fossil species, the former of which are distributed over Europe, Asia, the great Malay 

 Islands, the Atlas chain in North Africa, the Andes in South America, and all North 

 America ; a fossil species is likewise found in Brazil: of the other six, two are peculiar 

 to Asia, and the rest to America. The former are — the Panda (-4e7Mrw*, Duvaucel), or 

 * Wah' of Nepal, chiefly known to inhabit the eastern Himalayas ; and the Binturong 

 {Arctictis, Tem., Ictides, Valenciennes), which is also found in Neptll, and thence 

 southward to Malacca : the latter consist of the Raccoons, {Procyon, Storr) ; the Coati- 

 mondis (iVa^wa, Storr) ; the Kinkajou {Cercoleptes, Illiger); and the Bassary {Bassaris, 

 Lichtenstein). Two of them are stated to have prehensile tails, namely, the Kinkajou 

 and the Binturong : in the former of these, however, this organ is prehensile only in a 

 very slight degree, (insomuch that the term is quite inapplicable,) as 1 am enabled to 

 state from personal observation, having seen a very tame Kinkajou loose in a room; 

 this animal, as it clambered about the chairs, &c. merely pressed its tail occasionally 

 and very slightly against whatever offered, stiffening it throughout its length in a 

 slight downward curve, but never coiling it ; but the Binturong, according to na- 

 tive accounts, twists its tail round a branch to give impetus to its spring, and then 

 throws itself on its prey, generally Monkeys (whence its Burmese name of Myouk 

 kya, or monkey tiger), and with it falls to the ground. Its head is said to be par- 

 ticularly hard, and that it cannot be killed by blows inflicted on it. "The present 

 specimen," which is the individual now presented to the Society, " had several 

 blows inflicted on it with a heavy bamboo, but not apparently to its injury : it was shot 

 at the summit of a tree ; and the natives say, that this animal is generally seen upon 



* Asiatic Researches, vol. xiv, p. 474, 



