species of Mammalia. ^ ^t ¥' 109 



original description. The upper parts are of a greyish-white 

 colour, with a fulvescent shade which is deeper on the extremity 

 of the tail. The chin, throat, breast and extremities are entirely 

 black. In the hairy covering on the back, the separate piles 

 are nearly 3 inches long, white at the base one-half of their 

 length, with a black extremity, widely diffused and straggling, 

 giving the animal a rough and shaggy appearance. It bears 

 a great resemblance to the European Badger. 



Mr. Hodgson has proposed that it should be formed into a 

 genus under the name of Pseudomeles, 



In the Report to the Bengal Society for September (1854), 

 Mr. Blyth communicates some remarks on Indian Badgers. He 

 mentions the Tibetan Badger with reference to Mr. Hodgson's 

 description and figure in vol. xvi. of the Journ. Asiat. Soc. ; 

 , while he indicates what he considers to be a distinct species, 

 with the name of Meles albogularis : comparatively with the 

 European Badger " it has smaller and much less tufted ears, a 

 shorter and much less bushy tail, and the fur shorter and 

 coarser." 



The subject of Indian Badgers requires further examination. 

 An Indian Badger resembling the Meles leucurus is described 

 by Pennant in vol. ii. of Hist, of Quad. p. 16 {Ursus indicus) : 

 "Badger with a small head and pointed nose; scarcely any 

 external ears; only a small prominent rim round the orifice, 

 which was oval ; colour of the nose and face, a little beyond the 

 eyes, black ; crown, upper part of the neck, the back, and upper 

 part of the tail, white inclining to grey; legs, thighs, breast, 

 belly, sides, and under part of the tail black. Five toes on each 

 foot, the inner small ; claws very long and straight. Length 

 from nose to tail about 2 feet ; tail 4 inches long ; hair short 

 and smooth .'' 



Dr. Shaw in his ' General Zoology ' adds the following remark : 

 " Mr. Pennant is the first and only describer of this species, which 

 was brought from India, and was in the possession of the late 

 Mr. John Hunter. (It remains to be determined whether all the 

 Badgers hitherto indicated do not constitute local varieties of the 

 same species ? — T. H.) 



Of the genera Lutra and Aonyx, the collection contains the 

 following representatives : — 



25. Lutra chinensis. Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist. 1836; Cat. Mamm. 



B.M. 71 ? 

 Lutra tarayensis, Hodgs. J. A. S. viii. 619 ; Gray, Cat. H. C. p. 14. 



26. Aonyx sikimensts, Hodgson. 



This Mr. Hodgson considers to be a new species. It differs 



