1 8 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



B. FISSIPEDIA, OR TRUE CARXIVORA. 



There are seven ' families of living Camivora, four of which 

 are cosmopolitan, being found in all the continents except Aus- 

 tralia, while one (the Raccoons) is pecviliar to America, and two 

 (the Civets and the Hyaenas) are peculiar to the Old World. 

 The families are: 



I 



2 



anim. 



3 

 4 



5 

 etc.) 



6 

 etc.) 



7 



UrsidvE, or Bears (Black Bear, Grizzly, Polar Bear etc.). 

 Procyonid^, or Raccoons (Raccoon and some rarer 

 als). 



Caxid^, or Dogs (Wolves, Foxes, Jackals). 

 ViVERRiD.-E, or Civets (Civet, Mongoose etc.). 

 MusTELiD^, or Mustelines (Weasel, Otter, Badger, Skunk 



Felid-^, or Cats (Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Puma, Lynx 



Hy.-enidvE, or Hvasnas. 



The predaceous animals of Australia and the islands near to 

 it are all Marsupials, or Pouched Mammals, except a wild Dog 

 which was probably introduced by man. The range of the fam- 

 ilies of true Camivora in former geological epochs was the same 

 as now, except that South America had no true Carnivores until 

 the Pliocene epoch, their place being taken by carnivorous 

 Marsupials related to those which still inhabit Australia. In 

 general the fossil true Carnivores are placed without difficulty 

 in one or another of the families still surviving; but the earliest 

 known ancestors of all these families were so much alike that it 

 is hardly possible to say in which family they should be placed, 

 and they are conveniently grouped together under the name c^f 

 ViVERRAViD^, or Ancient Civets, as the Civets among all the 

 modem Carnivores are least altered from the primitive stock. 

 As time went on these primitive Camivora became more clearly 

 differentiated, so that in the Miocene epoch all the modern 

 families are easily distinguishable. (See Fig. 8.) 



' Besides these seven families there are a few rare and peculiar Camivora 

 which are placed in families by them.sclves, but these are of no geological im- 

 portance and need not be considered ?ere. 



