148 HEEPESTID^. 



and lower part of the neck pale tawny ; breast, belly, and inner side 

 of extremities dirty pale rufous, speckled with white ; woolly hair 

 yellowish white ; tail rather thick towards the root, very slender at 

 the point ; outer surface of ears thickly covered with short brownish- 

 yellow hairs, inner surface more thickly with a dull tawny sort ; 

 whiskers black ; nails dark horn-colour. Length of body and head 

 log inches, of tail 14 inches." 



Ichneumon madagascariensis, ^4. S)nith, S.African Quart. Journ. p. 56 ; 

 Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 550. 



" Hab. Madagascar {A. Smith). 



" Size and form of H. cajfer, but colours much lighter ; and when 

 placed side by side, various other differences are evident." 



7. ? Herpestes Bennettii. 



Red-brown, slightly grizzled with whitish ; tail rather depressed, 

 underside pale red, tip black-penciUed. 



Herpestes Bennettii, Gray, Loudon's Mag. N. H. i. p. 578 ; P. Z. S. 

 1864, p. 550. 

 Hah. Madagascar {Mus. Zool. Soc). Specimen not to be found. 



8. Herpestes Jerdonii. B.M. 



Grey, closely and broadly white-ringed ; the head darker ; the 

 feet darker brown, only slightly aunulated ; tail conical, with a black 

 pencil of elongated, iiaccid, black hairs. 



Herpestes Jerdonii, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 550. 



Bab. Asia : Madras {Jerdon, 1846). 



Very like H. ichneumon, but rather paler. 



Length of head and body 19 inches, of tail 17. 



Skull (aged) elongated ; orbit complete. The false grinders | ; 

 the front very small ; the second and third triangular, with an 

 internal lobe. The flesh-tooth narrow, elongate; outer edge much 

 longer than the width of the front margin ; internal lobe small, 

 slender, on the front edge. Tubercular transverse ; first triangular, 

 very short and broad, outer edge oblique, inner part very narrow, 

 acute ; second very small, oblong. The hinder part of the palate 

 contracted, with a small wing on each side on the upper, and with 

 an acute keel on each side of the lower edge, ending in a long pro- 

 cess behind, with a nodus on the outer side near the end ; internal 

 opening narrow, transverse. Lower jaw rather strong; chin shel- 

 ving, lower edge straight, angle produced, lobe keeled on the inner 

 upper margin. Length of skull about 2" 3'" (imperfect), of nose 11'" ; 

 width of back of mouth 1" 1'". 



See 1. Ichneumon Eclwardsii, Geoff. Egypt, p. 138, from Edw. 

 Birds &c. p. 199, t. 199. 



2. Ichneumon major, Geoff. Z. c. p. 139, from Grande mangouste. 

 Buff. Supp. iii. p. 173, t. 28. These species are only known from the 

 figures cited. 



