96 Asiatic Society. [No. 121. 



of Europe and Asia, one, however, being found in Japan. In Africa, at least South 

 Africa, they are represented by the genus Chrysochloris, and in North America by 

 Scalops and Condylura ; in South Americano Insectivora (Cuv.) have hitherto been 

 discovered (for the Sorex tristriatus of Fischer has proved to be a genuine Opossum J 

 and Mr. Waterhouse has well remarked that their place is there supplied by the 

 numerous small Opossums, as in Australia by other analogous Marsupiata. There 

 exists, however, a species of true Insectivora (Cuv.) in the island of St. Domingo, 

 which constitutes the genus Solenodon of Brandt. No burrowing forms that can be 

 considered analogous to the Mole and allied genera have as yet been discovered 

 among the Marsupiata, but it is highly probable that such will eventually be found 

 to exist. 



Equus Caballus : a skull. 



Elaphus Indicus: some molar teeth. 



Cervus Hippelaphus : frontlet of a young animal. 



C. Axis : skulls of an old male, a young male, and a female, 



C. porcinus : a frontlet. 

 ,, allied to porcinus : a pair of loose antlers. 

 ,, muntjac : a frontlet. 



Antilope Cervicapra : an imperfect skull, a pair of loose horns, and an odd horn. 



Ovis Nahoor : horn of a female. 

 ,, Aries, var : a skull. 



Mus decumanus : a skeleton, and a stuffed specimen. 



Cavia cobaya : a stuffed specimen. 



Manis pentadactyla : ditto. 



2d. 1 have to announce the present, from " a lady," of a living female of the Moschus 

 Meminna, Auctorum ; this species I had never previously seen alive (as I often have 

 its Malayan congeners), and certainly did not expect to find it so very bulky an 

 animal, or in other respects so nearly allied to the recently discovered true Chevrotain 

 of Western Africa (M. aquaticus, Ogilby, P. Z. S., 1840, 35), a species which I had 

 the good fortune to examine, or, in common, I imagine, with every other zoologist 

 who has heard the announcement of a Chevrotain from that locality, I should certainly 

 have been unable to resist the suspicion that the animal would rather have belonged 

 to the Philantombah group of "Antelopes" ( Cephalophus ) , or perhaps some allied 

 form; it is, however, in all respects a thorough Chevrotain, nearly allied to the 

 Meminna, and the first Cervine quadruped (with the exception of that very re- 

 markable one, the Giraffe,) which has been discovered to the southward of the Atlas 

 chain in all Africa:* its habits are remarkably aquatic, which circumstances I mention 



* I say Cervine, because quite unable to appreciate any sufficient difference be- 

 tween the Cervidce and Moschidce, Auctorum, to justify their current separation into 

 groups of the value of "families." How, for instance, can the Muntjacs be placed 

 in a distinct family division from the Chevrotains ? With respect to the presence or 

 absence of antlers, which is the only positive distinction subsisting between these 

 two alleged families, it is well known that a South American group of tiny Deer have 

 the appendages in question reduced to the permanent condition of brockets, or small 

 branchless beams, to say nothing of the fact of their constant absence in one sex all 

 but throughout the family; while, on the other hand, it is by no means clear, now 

 especially that a plurality of species has been ascertained among the musk-bearing 

 Moschi, that one or more of these is not actually furnished with antlers : witness the 

 description of the musk-animal by the Arab historian, Abusseid Serafi, who (as cited 



