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Show 72 MR. O. THOMAS ON THE [Jail. 3, derable series of perfect skeletons would be necessary before one could place any reliance upon them as a specific character. 5. HERPESTES GALERA. a. Typical variety. Mustela galera, Erxl. Syst. Reg. Anim. i. p. 453 (1777). Viverra nems, Kerr, Linn. S.N. p. 160(1792). Mustela afra, Kerr, t. cit. p. 175 (1792). Ichneumon galera et major, Geoff. Descr. Egypte, Hist. Nat. n. p. 138 (1812). Atilax vansire, F. Cuv. Hist. Nat. M a m m . iii. livr. 54 (1826). Herpestes paludinosus, G. Cuv. Regne Anim. ed. 2, i. p. 158 (1829). *Mangusta urinatrix, A. Smith, Zool. Journ. iv. p. 437 (1829). * Herpestes pluto, Temm. Esq. Zool. Guin. p. 95 (1853). ^Herpestes loempo, Gray, P. Z.S. 1864, p. 551 (nee Temm.) (1864). Athylax vansire et paludosus, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 557 (1864). Hab. West and South Africa. b. Variety robustus. *Athylax robustus, Gray, P. Z.S. 1864, p. 558 (1864). Hab. East Africa (White Nile). Specific Characters.-Size very large, form stout and heavy. Tail shorter than the body without the head. General colour either grizzled reddish brown and white, or dark blackish brown without annulations1. Underfur greyish brown. Feet dark brown. Tail coloured like the body, but rather darker, sometimes gradually becoming nearly black towards the end, the black never sharply separated as in H. ichneumon. Belly similar to back. Cheeks generally with a peculiar indistinct whitish mark from the angle of the mouth to below the ear. Hind soles as a rule quite naked, sometimes with the posterior third hairy2. Skull very stout and heavy, the lower jaw particularly so, with a distinct and well-marked chin in adults. Teeth rather small in proportion. Last molar more than half the last premolar (56-61 per cent.). Varietal Characters. Var. galera. Smaller : skull less than 4*3 inches in length. Var. robustus. Larger : skull more than 4*5 inches in length. Dimensions. Head Typical variety. and body. Tail. Hind foot. a. Cape 24*5 13*0 3*9 b. „ 24*0 13*5 3*9 c. W . Africa 24*0 3*8 Var. robustus. d. Type: E. Africa... . 26*5 12*5 4*0 1 See above, p. Gl. 2 See above, p. 07. |
