flesh is considered to be a delicacy. Its fur is of no value. It very much resembles
the bobac of Poland, in its form and general appearance.
D E S C R I P T IO N .
Dental formula, incisors f, canines grinders J=i = 22.
Incisors exserted, strong,:white; upper ones rounded anteriorly, marked near their inner
sides by an almost obsolete groove, and haying even cutting edges. Lower ones longer,
nearly linear, and rounded anteriorly. Of the upper grinders the anterior, one Js the smallest,
the posterior one the widest, and the other three are nearly equal to each other in size. The
crowns of the four posterior grinders are widest exteriorly, and exhibit a duplicature of enamel,
folded as it were from the outer side in such a manner, that the inner crest of each tooth
forms a single rounded eminence, a very little higher than the rest of the crowp. The outer
crest or edge of the tooth, consists of three lower and more acute points. The smaller anterior
grinder has an oval crown divided into two sloping surfaces by a transverse ridge. In
each of the grinders o f the lower jaw, the bounding ridge of enamel forms an anterior and a
posterior pair of points, of which the anterior pair is considerably higher, arid particularly the
inner point of that pair. The inner point of the posterior pair of each tooth wears away in a
cup-shaped form. The area of a section of one of the lower grinders is obliquely quadrangular;
whilst the areas of the four posterior upper ones are more nearly triangular. The lower molars
increase slightly in size from the anterior to the posterior one, which is the largest. The frontal
bone is flat and depressed between the orbits, and its nasal process rises, to form with the nasal
bones an oblong arch.
The body is thick and low, the head oblong, flat on the crown and between the eyes, with a
slightly arched obtuse nose, covered with short hairs. Septum and margins of the nostrils
naked. There is a duplicature or depression on the. inside of the cheek, forming the rudiments
of a pouch, and capable of containing a small bean. Whiskers shorter than the head,
entirely black. There are some black setce on the eyebrows, a tuft containing about
eight black hairs as strong as the whiskers, at the back part of each cheek, and a similar tuft
between the posterior angles of the lower jaw. Eyes moderately large. Ears low,flat, and
rounded, the anterior edge only doubling in, to form a helix ; they are well covered with
short, adpressed, hoary hairs on the inside ; posteriorly, they are clothed with hairs similar to
those on the adjoining part of the head. The ears are conspicuous enough, unless when the
fur is in prime order, and consequently long. The upper surfaces of the head and feet are
covered with a thick, smooth coat, of rather short hair, having a shining dark umber-brown
colour, which on the feet approaches to black. The end of the nose is, in some specimens,
hoary; in others brown.
The fu r on the hack is of two kinds,—-one, a fine wool or down, which, for half its length
from the roots upwards, is of a blackish-gray colour, and, for the other half, is of a pure,
shining, yellowish, or wood-brown. Intermixed with the down there are many longer hairs,
which are brownish-black for two-thirds of their length, and are tipped with white. Some of
them, however, are merely ringed with white, and are tipped with black. The resulting colour
o f the back is grizzled or hoary *, the white predominating over the black, and the light-brown
of the shorter wool being also more or less seen, according as the fur is in good or bad order.
The sides of the upper-lip, the point of the chin, the cheeks, and the sides of the neck, are
soiled, reddish-white, which mixes gradually with the dark colour of the head. The under
■parts, including the throat, break; belly, and fore and hind legs, are of a reddish-orange
colour, without mixture. The fur there is thinner and rather shorter than on the back, of the
same colour, for its whole length, and there is very.little of the fine wool amongst it. On the
sides the soft wool has reddish-orange tips, and is mixed with a few long, reddish-white hairs,
forming a gradation betwixt the colours of the back and belly.
The tail is flatfish, but not distichous; it is nearly linear,, and is rounded at the tip. It is
well clothed with hair, a little longer than that on the back, and is dusky above, from an
intimate mixture of brownish-white and blackish-brown hairs, and is brownish-black.underneath,
and at the tip. In some specimens the tail is almost entirely dark-brown, with a very
slight sprinkling of hoary hairs. Legs, very short, and muscular: Fore-feet, with four toes,
and the minute rudiment of a thumb. The toes are well separated, not being connected by
the skin for more than a third part of the first joint. The palms are naked, and have three
tubercles at the roOts of the toes, and two -much larger ones. further back, of which the largest
has a minute rudiment of a thumb on its inner side, covered by a small triangular nail. The
middle toe is the longest; the first and third, which are equal to each other, are but a little
shorter, and the outer, one is rather more than the length of its .nail shorter than these. All
the toes are covered with a smooth coat of hair above, and are perfectly naked underneath.
The fore-claws are slightly arched, and rather Obtuse; they are so much compressed, that
there is merely a slight excavation near the-tip-underneath, their edges from thence to their
ibots'being'in contact ; and their size, as compared with each other, is proportional to the toes
to which they belong. The soles of the hind-feet are long and naked to the h eel; the callous
tubercles are not so. conspicuous as in the fore-feet. There are five hind-toes, which are
about the same size with the fore-ones. The middle claw projects a very little beyond the
one on each side of it. The outer toe is more than the length of its claw shorter, and the
inner one is still shorter and further back.
When the fur is out of season it loses its lustre, and the down and most of the'hair on the
belly falls off, so that the animal can scarcely be recognised.
Dimensions.
[Inches.
L e n g th o f h e a d a n d b o d y . . f rom 17 to 20
: • th e h e a d a l o n e .............................................. d
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D is ta n c e b e tw e e n t h e e y e s . • • • H
D is ta n c e b e tw e e n th e e a rs .
L e n g th o f t a il (v e rte b ra s) . .
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M r . G r a h am lik e n s th e c o lo u r o f t h e b a c k to a m ix t u r e o f p e p p e r a n d sa lt.