Pelage.—It was found advisable to use a standardized nomenclature for hairs. The names here proposed are a choice of those used in the literature, with the suffix "form" as an element of uniformity. I feel that it would be advantageous if everyone adopted a similar universal system in mammalogy.

The names listed below are used as nouns and are considered as English versions which could easily be adapted to different languages. These names may be complemented with adjectives as needed. Examples are lanceolate aristiforms, spinous aristiforms, and woolly setiforms.

Aristiforms: The most conspicuously developed hairs in a three-layered pelage or the corresponding hairs in a simpler pelage. Names previously used for these hairs are: guard hair, leithaar and jarre.

Setiforms: Common to all species and most numerous throughout the pelage; second in conspicuousness, being the dominant hairs in the middle layer. Synonyms are: over hairs, grannenhaare and soies.

Villiforms: The smallest hairs in the three-layered pelage. Synonyms are: underfur, wollhaar and duvet.

Vibrissiforms: The vibrissae proper, or any typically sensory hair.

Teeth.—The tritubercular nomenclature was abandoned because of overwhelming difficulties; more research on the Hystricomorpha is certainly needed before the tritubercular nomenclature can be applied with confidence. The following names are used for features of the molariform teeth:

Main fold: The inner or lingual fold in the upper molariform teeth and outer or labial fold in the lower molariform teeth.

Counterfold: Any outer or labial fold in the upper or any inner or lingual fold in the lower molariform teeth.

For incisors Thomas (1921:141) is followed: opisthodont, orthodont and proodont depending on the angle between the exposed part of incisors and the ventral surface of the rostrum.

The capital letters P and M designate premolars and molars, respectively, of the upper jaws; lower case letters p and m designate corresponding teeth in the lower jaws.

Measurements.—Measurements of skins were used only when provided by the collector. The length of the hind-foot is intended to be always cum unguis, but in a few instances it is impossible to be sure whether the collector included the nail. Length of tail was used only when the tail seemed not to be mutilated. Ear measurements taken by collectors are scarce. In spite of the apparent usefulness of length of ear, it was found to be inadvisable to take the measurement on the dry skins.

The following measurements of the skull are used in the tables:

Greatest length: From the anteriormost part of the nasals to the posteriormost part of the supraoccipital.

Condylo-incisive length: From the anterior face of one incisor, at the alveolus, to the posteriormost part of the exoccipital condyle of the same side.

Zygomatic breadth: Maximum distance across zygomata in a plane perpendicular to longitudinal axis of the skull.

Length of nasals: Maximum length of one or both, whichever is the greater.

Interorbital constriction: Least width between the orbits on top of the skull.

Palatilar length: From the posterior face of an incisor, at the alveolus, to the nearest part of the posterior edge of the palatine bone.

Crown length of cheekteeth: From the anterior border of P4 to the posterior border of M3.

In the accounts of species, measurements of aristiforms and setiforms are used. The hairs measured were taken from the middorsal region and outer thighs, and the measurements are means.

All specimens of which measurements are here recorded, as for example in the tables, are fully adult; each specimen shows some wear on each of the four upper molariform teeth unless otherwise indicated.

Capitalized color terms are after Ridgway "Color Standards and Color Nomenclature," Washington, D. C., U. S. A., 1912. One setiform was taken from the animal and placed over the rectangles in Ridgway's charts and the examination made under a microscope with low (×7) magnification and natural light. This method was found to give the most satisfactory results.