Ursid/E. MAMMALIA. Ursid^e. 77 
where it is also known as the Palm-civet or Musang. 
The head is short and pointed anteriorly. The body 
is clothed with long hair, which is generally of a grey 
colour, the tail and sides of the muzzle being black. 
The whiskers are extensively developed, forming a 
very conspicuous feature. The eyes are cat-like, with 
the pupil elongated from above downwards, the small 
and rounded ears being covered with a tuft of pencilled 
hairs. The jaws are armed with thirty-eight teeth ; 
that is, twelve incisors, four canines, sixteen spurious, 
and six true molars, only two of the latter occurring 
in the lower jaw. The feet are entirely plantigrade 
and pentadactylous. The tail is remarkably long, 
stoutish throughout, more particularly at the root ; it is 
also prehensile. According to Sir Stamford Baffles, 
the Binturong is slow and heavy in its movements, 
sleeping for the most part during the day, and at night 
wandering about in search of food. It appears to 
enjoy both an animal and vegetable diet, having 
however, a decided preference for the former. It 
climbs trees with tolerable facility, being greatly 
assisted by the strong prehensile tail. 
THE PANDA {Ailurm refulgens) comes still nearer 
to the racoons, and consequently to the bears proper. 
It is an inhabitant of the Himalayas, between the 
snowy mountains and Nepaul. The body is stout, 
and covered with a soft thickly set fur. It is of 
a rich cinnamon colour on the back, fulvous pos- 
teriorly, and of a deep black hue beneath. The 
tail is as long as the body, tolerably thick throughout, 
especiallj’’ at the root, and is annulated with dark 
brown bands. The head is short, broad, rounded, and 
clothed with whitish hair. The ears are small, arched, 
and pointed. The eyes are placed well forward. 
The jaws support thirty-six teeth ; that is, twelve 
incisive, four canines, sixteen spurious, and four true 
molars. The limbs are short, the soles of the planti- 
grade five-toed feet being furnished with fine downy 
hairs. The claws are compressed, curved, retractile, 
and very sharp. Altogether, this animal is a handsome 
species. Eespecting its affinities with certain allied 
forms. General Hardwicke states, that the peculiarities 
“ on which its rank as a genus depends are striking 
and prominent; but its disposition in a natural series is 
still obscure, as it resembles in several characters the 
individuals of that subdivision of digitigrade Carnassiers, 
from which it differs essentially both in its teeth and 
in its plantigrade walk. Among the peculiarities of 
our animal are to be noticed, the great breadth of the 
rostrum and the singular structure of the teeth ; but 
the most remarkable character, and that on which its 
distinction principally depends, is the form of the 
projecting points of the posterior grinders. This char- 
acter, as far as our observation extends, is peculiar. 
It does not exist, except in a small degree, in any 
other genus of carnivorous quadrupeds.” Comparing 
it with the genera Nasua and Procyon, he adds 
— “These differ essentially in the lengthened form 
of the head and in the extended rostrum, which 
is terminated by a flexible rhinarium. They also 
differ in the number, character, and distribution of the 
grinders. Nasua and Procyon have in both jaws six 
grinders, of which the three anterior are false ; and of 
those which follow, none of the points even in the 
adult state exhibit the truncation above described.” 
The habits of the Panda are strictly arboreal, the 
animal being particularly abundant in the neighbour- 
hood of running streams and mountain torrents. It 
utters a peculiar cry resembling the syllable wlia, and 
is consequently sometimes called by the natives the 
Chitioa. Its food consists chiefly of small quadrupeds 
and birds. 
THE RACOON {Procyon /otor)— Plate 11, fig. 37— 
is characterized by the possession of an acute fox-like 
muzzle, associated with an attitude thoroughly ursine 
and plantigrade. During progression, however, the 
heel is slightly elevated. The posterior part of the 
head is more or less rounded. The ears are oval and 
a little pointed. The eyes are large and penetrating, 
having spherical pupils. The nose is soft, naked, taper- 
ing, and projecting considerably beyond the mouth. 
The jaws carry forty teeth ; that is, twelve incisors, 
four canines, sixteen spurious, and as many as eight 
true molars. The body measures about two feet in 
length, exclusive of the tail ; but it stands low, the 
back being scarcely a foot from the ground. The 
limbs are short and narrow, when compared with the 
preceding genera. The feet are pentadactylous, the 
digits being clothed and armed with strong falciform 
claws. Its tail is about ten inches long, and annu- 
lated by alternating bands of dark, black, and whitish 
hair, the latter being thick and much elongated. The 
fur is for the most part of a greyish-brown colour. On 
the head a brownish-black streak runs down the central 
line from between the ears to the tip of the nose, and 
on either side, below the eyes, there is an oblique 
patch of a similar colour. Over the eyebrows, and 
towards the muzzle, the hair is whitish. This is also 
the case with the ears. The whiskers are well 
developed. Under the belly the fur is much lighter 
than on the back. The Eacoon has an extensive 
range over the upper parts of the North American 
continent. In regard to its habits, Sir John Eichard- 
son thus speaks of it : — “ In the wild state it sleeps by 
day, comes from its retreat in the evening, and prowls 
in the night in search of roots, fruits, green corn, birds, 
and Insects. It is said to eat merely the brain, or suck 
the blood of such birds as it kills. At low water it 
frequents the sea-shore to feed on crabs and oysters. 
It is fond of dipping its food into water before it eats, 
which occasioned Linnseus to give to it the specific 
name of lotor. It climbs trees with facility. The fur 
of the Eacoon is used in the manufacture of hats, and 
its flesh, when it has been fed on vegetables, is 
reported to be good.” 
THE BROWN BEAR {Ursus arctos). — Almost every 
one is familiar with this common species, which has a 
very wide geographical distribution over the northern 
half of the eastern hemisphere, extending from Spain 
and the west of Europe, to the extreme eastern parts 
of Asia and the islands of Japan. It is also now 
generally believed that the Barren-ground bear is only 
a variety of this species — an opinion in which we are 
disposed to acquiesce; and if this persuasion be correct, 
Ursus arctos must be considered an American as well 
as European species, which would give it a range coex- 
