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Show 328 MR. STANLEY S. FLOWER ON THE [^-Pr- «*' 28. VIVERRICULA MALACCENSIS (Gmel.). The Small Indian Civet. Viverricula malaccensis, Blanf. Faun. Ind., Mamm. p. 100. " Cha-moot " of the Siamese. There were in the Museum at Bangkok five specimens from Siam. Cantor (p. 29) says : " On the Malayan Peninsula this species appears to be more numerous than V. zibetha • less so than V. tangalunga " (i. e. V. megaspila). Ridley (Nat. Science, vol. vi. 1895, p. 92) gives a long and interesting account of " Viverra malaccensis, the Musang"; with all due deference to his knowledge aud experience, I would suggest that he is referring to (or at any rate has included under that name) some species of Paradoxurus. Mr. J. L. Bonhote (A. & M. N. H. 7th series, vol. i. p. 120, 1898) writes : " Specimens from the Malay Peninsula representing the original V. malaccensis may be distinguished by having only seven dark rings on the tail instead of eight as in all other specimens, the tip being pure white." Distribution. India, Ceylon, Assam, Burma, Southern China, Siam, Malay Peninsula, Java, Philippines, Socotra, Comoro Islands, Madagascar (probably introduced). 29. PRIONODON GRACILIS Horsfield. The Graceful Tiger-Civet. Cantor (op. cit. p. 29) records this species from Malacca; of which Blanford (Faun. Ind., Mamm. p. 105) says : " It was also reported from Malacca by Cantor (J. A. S. B. xv. p. 199); but, judging by the dimensions given, it is not improbable that the species obtained by him was P. maculosus." In the Museum at Taiping are three stuffed Tiger-civets from Larut, Perak ; they agree in size and description with P. pardicolor (Blanf. Faun. Ind., Mamm. p. 103), but the spots tend to form broad longitudinal bands. In the Museum at Kuala Lumpor there is a Tiger-civet from Selangor, taken at about 5 miles from Kuala Lumpor ; it seemed to me to be of the same species as the specimens at Taiping. Distribution. Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Banka, Borneo, Java. 30. PARADOXURUS NIGER (Desm.). The Indian Palm-Civet. Pardoxurus niger, Blanf. Faun. Ind., Mamm. p. 106. I include this species as an inhabitant of the Malay Peninsula on account of two specimens. 1st. One in the Museum at Taiping from Larut, Perak. It is very dark in colour, has no pale band on forehead, and the end of the tail white. It is labelled by Mr. Wray " P. macrodus, Grav." 2nd. One that I saw in Penang was taken alive to England and presented to this Society : it was identified in London as P. niger. Distribution. India, Ceylon, and (apparently) the Malay Peninsula. |