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Show 180 PROF. ST.-GEORGE MIVART ON THE ALUROIDEA. [Feb. 7, Length of radius Length of manus Length of third digit Length of femora Length of tibia Length of pes Length of fourth digit of pes Dr. Peters describes the liver as consisting of three main lobes, the middle one of which has the ligamentum teres on its left and the gall-bladder on its right-the left lobe being single, with the right lobe divided by notches into secondary lobes. Dr. Giinther had the kindness to place at m y disposal for examination the viscera of the specimen in the British Museum. Unfortunately its liver was in a very bad state and much injured ; it appeared to me, however, to consist of three main lobes, corresponding respectively (1) to the left lateral, (2) to the left central, and (3) to the right central and right lateral united, and containing the gall-bladder. The caudate lobe seemed to be of much the same size as in Herpestes. I could not distinguish the Spigelian lobe. Dr. Peters does not describe the anal glands ; but, from the form of the anal sac, there are probably more than two pairs of them, as in Crossarchus. Length of head and body 40", of tail 30". There are said to be three species-two from the Mozambique, and one from the Gaboon. Except as above pointed out, the characters of Bdeogale are those of Herpestes. The genus Rhinogale was formed by Dr. Gray, in 1864 (P. Z. S. p. 573), for a rather large Herpestiform animal, brought from Eastern Africa by Dr. Meller. The skull is represented by Dr. Gray, and also in his ' Catalogue of Carnivora,' p. 173. The external form has been just represented by Mr. Oldfield Thomas in our 'Proceedings.' The creature differs from all those yet here noticed, except Cynogale, in that the nose has no central groove below. There is both a hallux and a pollex ; the hair is annulated; and the tarsus is hairy. The skull in the British Museum (No. 1437 a, from skin, 64. 8. 23. 1) has an herpestiform bulla; hut the anterior chamber is very much less than the posterior one. The external auditory meatus is small and triangular, with one angle downwards. The postorbital processes of the frontal nearly join the much smaller ones of the malars. The condyloid foramen is exposed. The lambdoidal ridge is rather large, and the sagittal ridge moderate. The paroccipital process does not depend. The mastoid is much as in Herpestes; the pterygoid processes are very long, and the pterygoid fossse very small. There is a distinct, but very short, alisphenoid canal. The carotid canal is as in Herpestes. The anterior part of the bulla has a distinct round perforation in its floor, just below and within the millim. 54*5 51*0 21*0 68*0 720 82*0 23*0 |