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Show 32 MR. W. H. FLOWER ON T H E [Jan. 14, cision does not appear to have affected the judgment of any subsequent author. On the contrary, of late years, Bassaris seems to have completely subsided into a settled position among the Viverridce, as all the undermentioned systematic authors place it there, with scarcely a qualifying remark, further than that in its American habitat it forms an exception to the remainder of the group :-- Wagner, in Schreber's 'Saugethiere' (1841); Giebel, ' Die Saugethiere' (1859); Van der Hoeven, ' Handbuch der Zoologie' (I806); Baird, 'Mammals of North America' (1859); Gray, "Revision of the Viverridce" (P. Z. S. 1864); Cams, 'Handbuch der Zoologie' (1868). The external characters of Bassaris are too well known to require further description*. They really afford no satisfactory solution of its affinities, simply because in each of the great families of the Carnivora there is considerable variation in such characters. Either Viverridce, Mustelidee, or Procyonidce allow of sufficient latitude in structure of feet, ears, fur, and tail, to admit of this genus being ranged among them. If coloration counts for anything, except in closely affined forms, it may be noted that it approaches Procyon as much as any other known Carnivore, certainly more than Galidia, with which Gervais compared it in this respect. In placing Bassaris among the Viverridce zoologists have chiefly relied upon the characters of the teeth. The dental formula is precisely identical with the prevalent one in that group, viz. I. -, C. - P- i> M-. -: total 40. The presence of a second upper molar distinguishes it from all the known Mustelidee. But on the other hand the dental formula of Procyon and Nasua is exactly the same. Indeed it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find any substantial character which would exclude these two genera, and at the same time comprehend all the range of modifications among the Viverridce, from the slender sharply cusped teeth of the Genettes and smaller Ichneumons to the massive teeth of the African Civet, the blunt rounded molars of the Paradoxures and Binturong, or the square tubercular hinder teeth of Cynogale. In the sole distinctive character that I have been able to find (the presence of a second cusp on the inner lobe of the upper sectorial) Bassaris agrees with the Procyonidce. The Procyonidce as hitherto established, being a very limited group as to numbers, offer less range of dental characters; Bassaris, however, if included among them, will hold precisely the same relation to Procyon and Nasua as the smaller Genettes and Ichneumons do to the Civets and Paradoxures, the teeth, though formed on the same type, having a slenderer form and sharper cusps, being, in fact, merely adapted to more strictly carnivorous habits (see figs. 3 & 3a', p. 10). Cercoleptes deviates in its dentition from the more typical members of the group far more than Bassaris, though in a precisely opposite direction. ^ Gervais gives the number of vertebrae of his specimen as C. 7 • A good figure from life is given in Wolf and Sclater's ' Zoological Sketch** ' vol. 1. pl. 14. b --"-u-iies, |
