FOSSANE* AND FOUR-TOED WEASEL. 
357 
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Fossane. 
The fossane weasel has a slender body, rounded 
cars, and black eyes ; its back and legs are covered 
with cinereous hair, mixed with tawny ; the sides 
of its f&ce are black. From the hind part of the 
head, four black lines are extended towards the 
back and shoulders ; the tail is semi-annulated 
with black ; the whole under side of the body is 
of a dirty white. 
It inhabits Madagascar and Guinea, Cochin 
China, and the Philippine isles. It is a fierce 
creature. 
Four-toed weasel. 
This is the surikate of Buffon, a weasel with a 
very sharp -pointed nose, depressed head, inflated 
cheeks, and a long upper jaw ; it has black 
whiskers, arising from warty tubera ; its irides 
are dusky ,* the space about its eyes is black ; its 
ears are small, rounded, and black, and lie close 
to the bead ; its tongue is oblong, blunt, and 
rough ; it has six small cutting teeth, two long 
canine teeth in each jaw, and five grinders on each 
side ; its back is very broad, and a little convex ; 
its belly is broad and flat ; its legs are short ; its 
feet small and naked at the bottom, with four toes 
on each. The claws on the fore feet are long, 
like those of the badger ; those on the hind feet 
are short. 
Its hair is brown near the bottom, black near the 
ends, and hoary at the points ; that on the back is 
undulated or wavy ; the inside of its legs a yel- 
lowish brown ; its tail is tufted with black. It is 
eleven inches long ; its tail, which is thick at the 
base, ending pretty abrupt, measures eight inches. 
