OCR Text |
Show 1882.] AFRICAN MUNGOOSES. 85 may, for the present, leave it here, where it was originally placed by Dr. Gray. 1. RHINOGALE MELLERI. (Plate III.) *Rhinogale melleri, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 375 (1864). Hab. "East Africa." ' Size and form much as in Herpestes ichneumon. Tail about as long as the body without the head. Hind soles hairy to the roots of the toes. General colour uniform pale brown, the longer hairs each with only one or two rings of brown and white, the rings passing so gradually into each other as to give but little geneml appearance of grizzling. Head paler, the white of the hairs showing more conspicuously. Underfur dark grey at its base, pale brown at its tip. Belly like back, but rather paler. Feet similar, but darker. Tail with long hairs, somewhat as in black-tailed examples of H. albicauda: for its basal third the hairs are uniformly brown; for the middle third they are white for their basal halves and black for their terminal; and on the terminal third they are all black; the tail therefore gets very gradually darker towards the end. No doubt other specimens would show considerable variation in the detailed coloration of the tail. Skull as described above in the generic diagnosis. Teeth rounded, the posterior molars worn flat in the only specimen. Dental percentage 73. In the lower jaw the posterior molar is remarkably large, being precisely as long as the preceding tooth ; while the species which most approaches it in this character, Bdeogale puisa, has the last only 85 per cent, of the first molar, and the others of this group range downwards from 85 to 45 per cent., the proportions of these two teeth following with great regularity those of the upper teeth, of which the percentages are given in detail. Dimensions. Head and body. 22*0 Tall. 15*5 Hind foot, a. Type, E. Africa 3*8 Skull. Bagl. Palate- Palate- Ino. to cranial Length. Breadtb. length. breadth, cross line. axis. A. Type .. 3*38 1*85 1*78 1*05 1-22 1*14 The type specimen of this species, though obtained by Dr. Meller and described nearly 20 years ago, has, as far as I know, remained unique up to the present time. Happily both the skull and skin are quite perfect, so that I have been able to make out all the more important characters of the species. With regard to the locality at which this specimen was obtained, it appears that the only places in East Africa at which Dr. Meller collected were (1) on the Zambesi and (2) Zanzibar; so that R. melleri must have come from one or the other. As of late years |