Carnivora. MAMMALIA. — ^-Carnivora. 
Is 
cancrivora. Lund, in Ids work on Brazil, names it 
Canis braziliensis ; AVagner, C. melainpus ; Buffon, 
Cliien des bois; other autliors, Chien sauvage, Canis 
thous and Surinam Dog. Its liabitat is mostly 
Guiana, where it roams in small jiacks. A specimen 
in the Museum at Central Park, N. Y., gives the 
habitat as New Grenada. Its general aspect and 
color is somewhat that of the Jackal, though con- 
siderably more slender. 
YELLOW-LEGGED FOX {Tkotis fuhipes).— This is 
described in Proc. Zoo. Soe. for 1837, by Martin ; by 
Waterhouse, in Zoology of the Beagle ; Gerrard, in 
Catalogue of Bones of Mammals; and by Burmeister, 
in La Plata and Arch. Naturg., 1862. Its habitat 
is Chili. 
THE ALCO {Canis familiaris). — Among the numer- 
ous domesticated Dogs that inhabit every cpiarter of 
the globe, this little creature is preeminently interest- 
ing, and particularly from the fact that it is quite 
easily traceable to its native indigenous progenitors. 
'I'liere is evidence that two distinct breeds of indi- 
genous Canidce were living in the West India Islands 
at the time of their discovery, and that the common 
name Alco was a generic term applied to both. One 
breed— the silky-haired Alco — was probably intro- 
duced from Yucatan and Mexico, the seat of Indian 
civilization. The other breed — the short-haired — came 
IVom the Southern Spanish Main by the predatory 
Caribs. A variety, called the Mexican Mopsey, differs 
only, from the detailed description of Buffon, in hav- 
ing woolly instead of silky hair. Bryan Edwards, in 
his History of the West Indies, quotes an author 
named Acosto, who says: “The Dogs among the 
Indians of St. Domingo were a small mute creature, 
with a nose like that of a Fox, which the natives 
called Alco. 'J'he Indians were very fond of them, 
currying them on their shoulders.” 'I'lie Mexican 
Mopseys are often so formed. “ Of the three different 
species of Dog included by Fernandez, in History of 
the Animals of Hew Spain, niiMv the generic name 
Alco, Button, rejecting at once the hairless Dog, 
identical with the Bald Turk of the Old Continent, 
admits readily the species called Ytzcuinte potzotli — a 
Dog, short-necked in an unusual degree, and humped 
in shape, with silky hair — and the Techichi, wild 
and melancholy in aspect, as true aboriginal Dogs. 
'I’he first of these two species he recognizes as the 
same with the Lap-dog of Peru, and the other as a 
larger and lighter-made species, but dull and spirit- 
less, which the Indians make use of in the chase, in 
which he sees the Forest Dog of Guiana.” Air. 
Philip Henry Gosse, from whose work, A Haturalist's 
Sojourn in Jamaica, the above is derived, met with 
one of the white, silky Lap-dogs at Spanish Town, 
which he considered to be the true native Dog, Alex- 
ican Mopsey or Alco. He was here informed that 
“the Gaschis of Charlevoix, and the Casques of Gar- 
cilasso and Peres, described as small dogs, absolute- 
ly mute, with downy or silky hair of different and 
often of bright colors, possessed by the natives of 
St. Domingo and the neighboring islands, and used 
in the chase of their almost only quadruped, the 
Agouti, before the arrival of the Spaniards, was a 
dog of the Alco race. The best-known variety of 
the Indian Alco is the woolly breed, so much sought 
after under the appellation of the Mexican Mopsey.” 
The informer above-mentioned says, further: “I 
should not forget to mention that there is a wild 
Dog in Eastern Haiti, very different from the Feral 
Hound of St. Domingo, delineated by Col. Hamilton 
Smith, 'rids wild Dog is called a Xibaro (Hibaro), 
and at all points resembles the Aguara Dog of Sur- 
inam. 'J'radition makes them Indian. 'J’hey main- 
tain a uniform character in eveiy district in which 
they are known.” 
Family— FELIDiE. 
IMembers of this family have the head short and 
broad. 'I’lie feet are digitigrade, with five toes on 
the fore-feet, and four on the hind. 'I'he claws are 
retractile and sheathed. 'J’he molars, including the 
premolars, are or L'l; flie incisors are The 
posterior upper, or true molar, is very small. Cats 
are especially distinguished from the Dogs by their 
retractile, sharp and compressed claws. 'The number 
of toes on each foot, respectively, is the same as in 
Canidce. 'I’he tongue is peculiar iii its armament of 
sharp-recurved iirickles. 'I’here is a close uniformity 
in the osteological characters of this family, particu- 
larly in the structure of the skull and teeth. 'J’wo 
groups are, however, recognized among the American 
Felidoe. One has compact fur, a lengthened tail, 
high shoulders, and the jaw armed with four molars 
above. 'I’he other has loose, often long hair, with 
less beauty and gloss ; the tail is truncated ; the ears 
are tipped with pencils of long hair, and the hind- 
legs are higher than those of the preceding ; three 
upper molars on each side. 'I’his includes the tribe 
of Lynxes; the other, the Cats projier, Felis. 
Felis. — Linn. 
'I’his genus, which includes the typical Cats, is 
characterized by a very small anterior premolar, and 
a tail which equals in length one half that of the 
body. Five species of true Cats are known to inhabit 
the United States, all inhabiting the region of the 
lower Bio Grande, the F. concolor having a much 
larger range. 'I’he dental formula of the Cats is : 
Incisors, ; Canines,}-'; Premolars, |-| ; Molars, 
I-} = 30. 
THE AMERICAN PANTHER [Felis concolor, Linn.) 
—Plate L, fig. i. — 'I’his is the largest and most power- 
ful of North American Cats, if we except the Jaguar, 
which is more properly a southern species, well known 
in nearly all portions of the country as the Panther, 
Painter, American Lion, Cougar, Puma, &c. Cuvier 
and St. Hilaire called it Le Cougouar; Azara, Guaz- 
uara; and Margrave, Cuguacuarana. It reaches in 
size the dimensions of the largest Dog, and weighs, 
in some instances, 150 pounds. It is found from the 
Straits of hlagellau to the fiftieth parallel north, 
particularly in a line with the mountains. It is 
cowardly, though possessing great strength and fero- 
city, approaching its jirey always stealthily, and 
retreating readily from the face of Man. De Kay 
