440 



CARNIVORA 



Mca,siircincHf><. — Adult (summer pelage) from Sweden (from 

 skin) : head and body, 825 ; tail, 125 (pencil, 75) ; hind foot, 

 140±. For cranial measurements see Table, p. 439. 



Specimens examined. — Six, from the following localities : — 

 Norway : Vaage, Gudbrandsdal, 1 (Genoa) ; Egersund, Stavanger, 

 1 skeleton and 1 skull. 



Sweden: Frastvik, 1; no exact locality, 1 skull (U.S.N.M.). 

 Lapland : No exact locality, 1 skull (U.S.N.M.). 



6 skeleton, Egersund, Norway. K. H. Schaanning (c). flO. 11. 26. 1. 

 ? skull. \11. 10. 23. 1. 



Family YIVERRID^. 



1821. Viverriche Gray, London Med. Repos., xv, p. 301, April 1, 1821. 



Geocirapliical didrUmtion. — Warmer portions of the Old World 

 (exclusive of Australia) ; north to the Iberian Peninsula and 

 southern France. 



Characters. — Dentition essentially as in the MHnteVidse, but 

 vipper molars usually 2-2, and upper carnassial usually with 

 three outer cusps ; auditory bulla, when not rudimentary 

 (1 African genus), inflated, thin-walled, divided by a distinct 

 septum into two chambers ; form usually rather slender, the legs 

 moderately short ; size moderate ; feet digitigrade. 



JRemarJiS. — The family Viccrridse is a tropical Old Woidd 

 group, containing about 25 genera, the ranges of two of which 

 extend into the Mediterranean region of Europe. 



KEY TO THE EUROPEAN GENERA OF YIVEBBID^. 



General form ferret-like ; ear broader than high ; body and 

 tail uniformly grizzled ; bony palate extending behind 

 molars in median line about half distance to hamulars ; 

 orbit nearly or quite enclosed by bone posteriorly (Mon- 

 goose) Mangos, p. 440. 



General form cat-like; ear higher than wide ; body spotted; 

 tail ringed ; bony palate extending behind molars in 

 median line much less than half distance to hamulars ; 

 orbit widely opening into temporal fossa (Genet) Genetta, p. 446. 



Genus MUNGOS Geoff'roy and Cuvier. 



17'J5. Mitncjos Geoffroy and Cuvier, Magasin Encyclopedique, ii, p. 187 



{mungo, p. 184). 

 1811. Herpestes lUiger, Prodr. Syst. Mamm. et Avium, p. 135 (misspelt 



Herpertes in text, corrected in list of errata, p. 802) {ichneumon). 

 1824. Mangnsta Horsfield, Zool. Researches in Java (javanica). 

 1830. Martes Wagler, Nat. Syst. der Amphibien, p. 29 (Substitute for 



Herpestes lUiger, preoccupied in botany). Not of Pinel, 1792. 

 1842. Mungo Lesson, Nouv. Tabl. Regne Anim., Mamm., p. 63 {iclmeumon). 

 1907. Mitngos Thomas, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 7th ser., xix, p. 119, 



January, 1907. 



Type species. — Viverra mungo Gmelin. 



Geographical distribution. — Africa, southern Asia, and larger 



