OCR Text |
Show 476 PROF. W. H. FLOWER ON THE [Nov. 11, to the knee 5|", from the knee to the ankle 6^", from the heel to the tip of the middle claw 6|". The head is very broad and depressed posteriorly. It suddenly contracts in front of the eyes into a depressed, rather broad, and obtusely pointed muzzle, rather dilated laterally in front of its posterior constriction, and obliquely truncated at the apex from below upwards. The " muffle" is covered with a naked, black, and finely tuberculated skin. The nostrils are quite lateral, in the form of a longitudinal buttonhole- like slit, "5" long, with the anterior end rounded, dilated, and turning upwards. They are *5" apart in front, and *9" posteriorly. On the under surface of the muffle is a longitudinal median groove, continued through the upper lip. The whole of the muzzle, or that part of the face in front of the eyes, is covered with a soft, dark brown or blackish, almost naked skin, having only very minute, delicate, light-coloured downy hairs, with a few scattered longer (*3" to -4") hairs on the upper lip, and on each side seven or eight stout black vibrissae or whiskers, the longest of which are 3-J "• The lower lip and chin are also clothed only with soft downy hair, and a few scattered longer hairs in front. The true hairy covering of the skin commences a little in front of a line drawn through the angle of the mouth and the anterior angle of the eye, though the comparative nakedness of the muzzle extends on each side quite up to the eyes. There are a few slender black vibrissae above the anterior corner of the eye, a single stout one an inch behind the angle of the mouth, and a group of three or four close to the middle line below, between the rami of the jaws, on a level with the angle of the mouth. The distance from the tip of the nose to the anterior angle of the eye is 2"*7; the length of the orifice of the lids is *8"; from the tip of the nose to the angle of the mouth 2"*6. The edges of the eyelids are of the same dusky colour as the muzzle. The upper lid has a row of fine black cilia *3" in length. There are none on the lower lid. There is a well-developed nictitating membrane, white, with a dusky edge. The iris is dark brown ; the pupil appeared to be nearly circular ; the diameter of the cornea is *6". The axis of the eye is directed nearly forwards. The ears are large, erect, and pointed; their external surface is of a dusky purplish-brown colour, and but sparingly covered with hair, except at the edges, where short, light brown hair grows more abundantly, but there is nothing like a tuft or pencil at the end. The inner surface of the pinna is white, naked at the central parts, and but thinly clothed with hair at the sides and towards the tip. The anterior edge is nearly straight and flattened outwards. The hinder edge is produced near the base into a slight " lobule," with a hollow to its inner side, separated from the " concha," or main concavity of the pinna, by a well-marked ridge. There is no distinct tragus. In the deep part of the hollow of the pinna, close to its base, are two small transverse corrugated folds. The length of the pinna is 4"-2, its greatest breadth 2"*3. The animal appears to be perfectly digitigrade. All the feet have strong, blunt, subcompressed, non-retractile, slightly curved claws. |