1*2 NATURAL HISTORY. [MAMMALIA 
in the upper and four in the lower jaw, and a shortish muzzle, as the 
Hyena; some are brown and not banded when young. 
The animals which generally live on carrion ( Necrophaga ) have one 
or two tubercular grinders in both the upper and lower jaw, and the car¬ 
nivorous grinder is moderately sized. 
The tribe of Civets ( Viverrina, Cases 9—11) have an elongated com¬ 
pressed body with short legs; they have two tubercular grinders in the 
upper and one in the lower jaw, and the hinder one in the upper jaw 
is triangular transverse. The soles of their hind feet are often bald be¬ 
hind. Some, as the civets ( Viverra), Proteles and Prionodon , have the 
toes quite free, the soles of the hind feet quite covered with hair, like the 
cats, the fur soft and the tail ringed. The genets ( Genetta ) have a narrow- 
naked band to the heel. These are all confined to the Old World. The 
Bassaris of Mexico has the ringed tail &nd soft fur of the genet, but the 
soles of the heels are hairy. Others have rigid fur, their tails are not 
ringed, and the soles of their hind feet are more or less bald, as the ichneu¬ 
mon ( Herpestes ), the mungo ( Mungos ), the vansire (Atilax), Ichneumia 
and Crossarchus , which have five toes on each foot, and only differ in 
the form of the true grinders, and the number of the false grinders ; the 
Cynictis has only four toes behind and five before; and the surricate {Ry- 
zcena ) has only four toes on each foot. In the others, the toes are short 
and partly webbed, the soles of the feet are nearly bald to the heel; 
their vent is simple with a bald secretory fold, between the thighs; 
their tail is often convolute, and the fur is soft with longer hairs, as the 
paradoxure ( Paradoxurus ), Paguma, Hemigalea , Arctictis, and Cy- 
nogale. These genera differ from one another in the form of the 
grinders. All the specimens of these genera (except Paradoxurus 
binotatus from Western Africa) are from India and the Islands of the 
Indian Archipelago. 
The tribe of Dogs ( Canina, Cases 12—16) have two small oblong 
tubercular grinders iiTeaeh jaw; their bodies are compressed, and the 
legs high and subequal; the hinder tarsi are slender and hairy behind, as 
the dogs {Cams) which have a round pupil and a moderate cylindrical 
tail. The fox ( Vulpes) has a bushy tail and an erect linear pupil. The 
Cyon differs from the dogs in having one grinder less. The Otocyon 
has the tail of the fox, but the ears are long, and it has one more grinder. 
The tribe of Weasels ( Mustelina , Cases 17—19) have an elongate 
body with very short legs, hence they have been called vermiform ani¬ 
mals. They have only a single tubercular grinder in each jaw, the 
upper one being oblong, transverse, and bluntly tubercular. In some, 
the soles of the feet are hairy like the cats, the body is very slender, 
and the head small and roundish, as the marten ( Maries ), weasel {Mus- 
tda), pole-cat {Putorius), and zorille {Zorilla), which differ in the 
number of the false grinders and form of the tail and claw s. Others 
have the soles of the feet more or less bald. They differ in the form 
of the tubercular grinders, as the taira ( Galera ), w 7 olvereen ( Gulo), the 
ratel ( Ratelus ), in all which the upper tubercular grinder is oblong 
transverse. Gulo has the soles of the feet quite covered with hair. The 
skunk {Mephitis) has the upper tubercular grinder nearly square and trans¬ 
verse ; and in the conepat {Marpuiius), Telagon {Mydaus), sand-bear 
{ Arcionyx ), and badger ( Taxus) the upper tubercular grinder is oblong 
longitudinal. Lastly, some have the feet webbed, (Case 19,) the head 
