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Show 1869.] CLASSIFICATION OF THE CARNIVORA. 35 I think moreover that there is not the slightest question that their cranial characters indicate most strongly their approximation to the Arctoid type, as has often been noticed before on other grounds*. Indeed their skulls seem to be simply a further modification of this type, showing resemblances to the true Bears on the one hand, and the Otters on the other; but I hope to take some other opportunity of examining more fully into these relationships. The presence of a caecum in this group is a circumstance not easy to be accounted for. Conclusion.-Mr. Turner was strongly impressed with certain resemblances, which appear to me rather superficial or accidental, between the Ichneumons and the Weasels ; and it was in order to bring these groups in juxtaposition, in his synoptical table of the Carnivora, that he commenced with the Bears and ended with the Dogs, placing the Felidce in the central position; in this arrangement I cannot, as I have said before, concur. The Dogs, for reasons given above, should be placed in the central position, while the iEluroids occupy one flank and the Arctoids the other. Of the former, the Felidce are perhaps the most specialized, and the Hycenidce the least so. The Viverridce are closely connected with the Felidce on the one hand, especially by the intervention of Cryptoprocta, and, though less closely, with the Hycenidce on the other, the gap being partially closed by the annectent Proteles. The Viverridce show a great tendency to break into two groups, of which Viverra, Paradoxurus, Arctictis, Cynogale, and Genetta belong to one, and Herpestes and its various modifications to the other, Rhy-zeena being an aberrant member of the last. The distinction between the five families of iEluroidea is founded mainly on the characters of the teeth, too well known to need recapitulation here ; but, as shown above, the cranial characters alone would suffice to distinguish them. Africa and Southern Asia are the head quarters of the group, all the families being restricted absolutely or very nearly (two of the Viverridce alone passing into Southern Europe) to these regions, except the Felidce, which are almost cosmopolitan. The Cynoidea admit of no subdivision into families ; and, although there is a considerable tendency to variation in external characters, they are remarkably " true " in cranial conformation. They are perhaps the most universally diffused of any of the groups. Of the Arctoidea the true Bears are the most specialized or aberrant ; they form a very compact group, distinguished by their very characteristic dentition and their completely plantigrade mode of progression. They have a very wide geographical range. On the other hand the Procyonidce, though few in numbers and restricted to the warmer and temperate parts of the American continent, are structurally less closely connected, at least if the singular Cercoleptes is truly a member of this group. Except for the increased number of the molar teeth, which is the only definite character by which they can be separated from the Mustelidee, I see no reason for considering the Procyonidce more nearly allied to the Ursidee than are * D e Blainville says " Les Ours, dont les rapports avec les Phoques ont etc sentis de tout temps et m e m e par Aristote " (op. cit. tome ii. p. 49). |