TENRECS. 
34i 
covered with a mixture of flexible spines, bristles, and hairs; but whereas in the 
young the former are arranged in longitudinal lines down the hack, in the fully 
adult state they are restricted to a kind of collar round the upper side of the neck. 
Both spines, bristles, and hair are yellowish or whitish towards the tips, and 
brown near the middle, so that the general colour of the head and body is a kind 
of yellowish-brown. When fully adult, the tenrec has 40 teeth, of which on each 
side f are incisors, j- canines, and ^ cheek-teeth. The tusks, or canines, of the 
males are very long and sharp, and would be capable of inflicting a severe wound. 
The most remarkable peculiarity connected with the dentition relates, however, to 
the upper cheek-teeth, and has only quite recently been discovered by Mr. O. 
Thomas, llius in a middle-aged tenrec it will be found that there are six cheek- 
THE TENREC (J liat. size). 
teeth behind the canine on each side of both jaws; three of these belonging to 
the premolars, or those preceded by milk-teeth, and three to the molar series, 
which have no such predecessors. Very late in life, however, a small fourth molar 
appears in the upper jaw behind the other three. Considering that no other 
Mammals with teeth divided into distinct series, have four upper molars as a 
normal condition, except Marsupials, and one peculiar kind of dog, this is a very 
remarkable circumstance. Taken, indeed, in conjunction with the fact that both 
the tenrec and the carnivorous Marsupials have tritubercular molar teeth, while 
the skulls of both have certain very remarkable resemblances, this feature in the 
dentition renders it pretty certain that of all living Mammals the tenrec is the 
one which is most nearly related to the Marsupials of Australia and America. 
Further collateral evidence of this relationship is, perhaps, afforded by the circum¬ 
stance that the tenrec produces a large number of young at a birth; although in 
this respect it even exceeds the Marsupials, an instance being recorded when as 
