| OCR Text |
Show 30 MR. W. II. FLOWER ON THE [Jail. 14, family. The posterior chamber of the bulla is much inflated, especially the anterior part, which overlaps the very small tympanic portion. The meatus externus (am) is very contracted. The carotid canal (car) is a deep groove near the middle of the inner wall of the bulla. The paroccipital (p) is closely applied to the bulla. The alisphenoid canal (a) is distinct. There is not the slightest approximation in any particular to the arctoid type. I feel, therefore, no hesitation in placing the Binturong among the Viverridce, even without waiting for the confirmation which the examination of the structure of the organs of generation will doubtless afford. Fig. 15. Binturong (Arctictis binturong). (The letters as in the preceding figures.) A comparison of Arctictis with Cercoleptes supplies a good illustration of superficial and adaptive resemblance masking absence of real affinity-closer, that is to say, than ordinal affinity. They belong to two different types of the Carnivora, both modified in the same direction. One is an arboreal, prehensile-tailed, omnivorous Viverrine iEluroid, the other an arboreal, prehensile-tailed, omnivorous Procvonme Arctoid. Geographically, each is confined to near the headquarters of the family to which it belongs; and in a functional sense only can they be regarded as representatives of each other in these different regions of the globe. If the study of the cranial characters of the Binturong has com pletely removed it from all suspicion of relationship with the Bears, |
