760 On the Tibetan Badger. [Aug. 



is so much withdrawn from the front that the anteal edge of its terminal 

 pad barely touches the posteal edge of the same pad in the index. The 

 termino-digital balls or pads are very large, suited to keep the great 

 claws from the ground and thus to enable the animal to walk without that 

 inversion of the claws, to which the Ant-eater and Pangolin are reduced. 

 Of the planta or sole of the hind feet one-third, reckoning from the 

 heel to the end of the toes, is thickly covered with woolly hair : the 

 rest is nude. There is no metatarsal pad to answer to the metacarpal 

 one ; but otherwise what has been said of the palm will suffice to ex- 

 plain the structure of the planta, inclusive of its digits. The claws of 

 the four feet are typically fossorial, diggers in perfection, being large 

 strong, moderately curved, compressed, with round backs and sharp 

 edges below, except near the points where they are widened and scoop- 

 ed. The claws of the hind feet, as already noted, are very much small- 

 er, and more nearly equal in size in all the 5 digits. 



The tail with the hair exceeds \ of the length of the animal, and is 

 equal to a \ without the hair. Like the body it is pretty uniformly 

 dressed in long hair extending much beyond the true tail, which is gra- 

 dually attenuated from a thickish base. The pelage, or fur, is of two 

 sorts, hair and wool, both rather fine, both ample, and both of free 

 set, that is, laxly applied to the skin. The head is dressed in short 

 close hair only. The hair of the limbs is rather looser and longer, and 

 has a very little wool at its base : it is harsh and thick but not elongat- 

 ed as on the body. On the belly the hair is about as long as on the 

 limbs, but scanter much in quantity, and rather woolly. On the body 

 hair is above 4 inches long, and the wool above 2 inches. On the tail 

 there is no wool, and the hair is an inch shorter than it is on the back. 

 The hair is fine, elastic, strong, straight, and somewhat flattened 

 towards the points, but not undulated. The wool is wavy, as usual, and 

 about half the length of the hair. The anal pouch is very noticeably 

 large and has pretty evidently the form of that organ peculiar to the 

 badger,* though its particulars cannot be safely described from any 

 but a fresh subject. The teats are six, remote and ventral, or 2 ingui- 

 nal and 4 ventral. The papillae of the tongue are pointed and even 

 corneous, but minute enough to make it feel smooth. The scull is 5 

 inches long, 2 high and 2f wide between the zygomoe. It is very 

 * English Regne Animal, II. 271 et 30. 



