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Show 110 MAMMALIA. frequents the edges of brooks, near springs, &c. The skin forms an important article of trade. 1'. linsang, Hardwick, Lin. Trans. XIII, pl. xxiv; Felis gracilis, Horsf. Java. (The Javanese Genet.) Several irregular, brown, transverse bands on the body, and seven rings round the tail. J'. fossa, Buff. XIII, xx. (The Fossane of Madagascar.) Tail, flanks, and all above fawn colour; the legs and all beneath a yellowish white; reddish brown spots, those on the back forming four longitudinal bands; tail semi-annulated with red, and only half the length of the body.(l) V. rasse, Horsf. Jav. (The Rasse.) Legs brown; body greyish brown, with small brown spots united on the crupper, and forming five longitudinal lines. Tail shorter than the body, annulated with black and white, the black rings six or seven in number.(2) The hair is harsher than in the preceding species. The PAnAnoxunus, Fr. Cuv. Has the teeth and most of the characters of the Genets, with which it was a long time confounded; it is however more stout· limbed; the feet are semi-palmate, and the walk nearly plantigrade, but what particularly distinguishes it is the spiral inclination of the tail, which is not prehensile. Only one species is known, the P. typus, Fr. Cuv. (The Pougoune of India.) A yellowishbrown, with some spots of a deeper brown than the rest; the feet, muzzle and part of the tail· blackish; eye-brows white, and quently brought ::.om .the Cape. There is another taken from a young specimen, ~rown, Ill. pl. xlm, still under the name of Fossane. It is distinguished by its whi· tish and not bro~n legs, and we have seen a similar one from Senegal. That of Bufl'. IX, :xxxv1, has not the bands on the neck and shoulders sufficiently marked. The number of black rings on the tail varies from nine to eleven. The Civette de Malacca of Sonnerat, Voy. II, pl. :xxxix, which is the same as tlte Ge?ette du .cap, lluff. Supp. VII, pl. I viii, and the Chat bisaam of Vosmaer, of Which Gmelm has made as many species, appear to be common Genets. _{1) Description taken from the original sent to Buffon byPoivre, and engraved, Hlst. Nat. XIII, pl. xx. The description of Daubenton is correct so far as re· ~s the ~istl'ibution of the spots; but he calls them black, whereas they are red· d'ah. .nesides, this animal can hardly be the fossa of Flacourt which that author states. IS the s.i ze of th e B ad ger. Th e £nO ssane has the same fu' rrow as the Gene4 notwlthst:nnding the assertion of Poivre to the contrary. ~2 ) It 18 prob~bly l'animal du muse of La Peyronie, Acad. des Sc. 1728, pl. :xlV, P· 464, Whlch had been confounded with the Zibetlt-but that animal is G arger, a~ has other colours. To this division we must refer the Viv.fa3ciata, m.; Buu. Supp. VII, lvii. CARNARIA. 11'1 a white spot under the eye. The French of Pondicherry call it the Palm Martin or Marte des palmier a. ( 1) MANGUSTA, Cuv.-HERPESTEs, Illig. The pouch voluminous and simple; the anus pierced in its depth. The hairs are annulated with light and obscure tints, which datermine their general colour on the eye. The Mangouste of Egypt, so celebrated among the ancients under the name of Ichneumon; Viverra ichneumon, L.; Buff. Supp. III, xxvi, is grey, with a long tail terminated with a black tuft; it is larger than our Cat, and as slender as a Marten. It chiefly hunts for the eggs of the Crocodile, but also feeds on all sorts of small animals; brought up in houses, it hunts Mice, Reptiles, &c. By the Europeans at Cairo it is called Pharaoh's Rat; by the natives, Nema. The ancient tradition of its jumping down the throat of the Crocodile to destroy it, is entirely fabulous. The Mangouste of India; Viv. mungos, Lin.; Buff. XIII, xix, and that of the Cape, Viv. cafra, Gm.; Schreb. CXVI, B, are smaller, both having a pointed tail, and a grey or brown fur the latter being more of an ashy, and the former more of a faw~ colour, having besides some red about the cheeks and jaws. The Man~ouste of India is celebrated for its combats with the most dangerous serpents, and for having led us to the knowledge of the Ophior!tiza mongoa as an antidote to their poison. . There is also the Mangouste of Java-H. Javanicus, reddish brown; cheeks of a chesnut-red; throat more fawn co- ' l~ured : a large one from the marshes of the Cape-H. palua~ noaus, ~f an. almost uniform reddish-brown, verging to a bla~k.' a httle hghter on the chin: a third from the Cape-H. pemc1llatus, of a greyish fawn colour, tip of the tail white: one from Senegal-H. albicaudus, grey, tail all white: it is difficult, ho~ever, to establish very specific differences between these ammals. RYZJENA, Illig. The Su r1' k ates have a strong resemblance to the Mangoustes even ~to the tints an d t ransverse streaks of the ha1. r, but are distingu'i shed rom them and f1·om all the Carnivora of which we have hitherto spoken ' bY h av·m g only four toes to each foot. They also are higher IJd(te1 )d Ibt is dth e pre t en d e d Genette de Ft·ance of Buffon, Supp. III, pl. xlvii, the Oi-an eau of Geoff. |