OCR Text |
Show 1896.] MAMMALS FE0M ECUADOB. 509 Hab. Paramo of Papallacta. Taken by the Indians. Very rare there (L. 8.). The general colouring of the animal is very distinct from the type species P. humilis, for whereas the latter is a bright chestnut with duller neck and very bright-coloured back, feet, and forehead, the new animal is black-brown sprinkled with fire-red, bright tawny-coloured neck, and almost black head and legs. The ears are verv much shorter and are covered with much longer fur especially on the inner side, where they are white, this spot being very conspicuous among the dark surroundings. The tail is wauting, whereas in P. humilis it is fully an inch long. It is much to be regretted that the specimen is so young, but I think there can be no doubt that it is very nearly full-grown ; the last molar is rising, though the milk-teeth are still unshed. This species is no doubt considerably larger than P. humilis, judging by the size of the skull, but I do not think its height can be more than 14 or 15 inches at the shoulder ; it is a peculiarly thick-set rough-haired little animal, and looks rather like the kid of a goat with very fine legs. In the skull the lachrymal pits are very deep, but have sloping sides, not descending nearly so abruptly as in P. humilis, in whicb species this is a very constant character even in quite young individuals. The nasals are very broad and are completely ossified far forward as in Coassus. The ascending rami of the premaxillse rise abruptly, and, expanding very considerably in their upper half, fit into wide notches in the nasals, broader than in any Coassus skull which I have examined. The greater length of the molar series amounts to about one tooth, but the most striking difference is the shape of the rows : in P. humilis these are always bowed, in most specimens being strongly convergent before and behind, but I have seen one skull in which they do not narrow posteriorly: at the same time they do not widen, though much bowed in front; but in the new species they are set in two almost straight lines, slightly and gradually converging postero-anteriorly as in Furcifer and Coassus. There are many minor points in which the skull of this animal differs from P. humilis, and most of these are characteristic of one or other of the genera mentioned, or of both. The lachrymals and frontals are joined for a greater length, reducing the size of the antorbital vacuities, the lachrymal bone extending over a space 7 m m . wide all round the upperside of the pit; the infraorbital ridge is very thick and is cut off very abruptly, leaving sharp edges above and below ; the squamosal portion of the zygomatic arch is more horizontal, not being bowed upwards, as in P. humilis. The foramen magnum is very large. The palatal bones differ somewhat in not having side processes extending towards the back of the last molars ; the roof of the maxillary portion of the palate is much arched, particularly in the narrow part anterior to the molars: this forms very sharp edges to the sides. Sir Victor Brooke, in his paper " O n tbe Classification of the |