442 



CARNIVORA 



and elongate, witli lung, no!i-retractile claws, those on front feet 

 longest ; hallux and pollex short but with well developed claw 

 more than half as large as those on other digits ; sole and palm 

 completely iiaked, the sole with a heart-shaped tubercular mass 

 about 15 mm. wide occupying region immediately behind bases of 

 digits, the palm with a similar mass at base of fingers, and an 

 isolated roundish median posterior tubercle about 8 mm. in 

 diameter. Fur with dense somewhat woolly under portion, the 

 hairs of which are about 20 mm. long, and a very abundant 

 growth of coarse almost bristly longer hairs (these essentially 

 absent along entire median region of underparts), whose length 

 is about 50 mm. at middle of back, increasing to 75 mm. on 

 flanks, rump, and base of tail ; near middle of tail the length of 

 the longer hairs decreases rather abruptly to about 50 mm., the 

 hairs at the same time becoming somewhat appressed, bhus 

 giving the tail its characteristic tapering form ; pencil long and 

 full. Mamma? : a 2-2 = 4. 



Colour. — The colour does not differ appreciably from that of 

 Moroccan and Egyptian specimens of Miukjos ichneumon. Head, 

 back, sides and tail (except the clear black tip) a coarse grizzle 

 of blackish and pale buff, each hair on body and tail buff at base 

 and with three buff annulations 3 to 5 mm. in length interposed 

 between the blackish tip (5 mm.) and the three blackish 

 intervening areas, the length of which varies from 6 to 10 mm. 

 Underfur dull tawny, the hairs slaty at base, the tawny 

 appearing everywhere irregularly at surface, though mostly 

 overlaid by the annulated bristly hairs. On body and tail the 

 black and buff are about equally noticeable, but on head the 

 annulations become much liner and the dark colour predominates, 

 often appearing as a clear blackish brown wash on face and 

 muzzle. Ears a light indefinite grizzled brown, somewhat paler 

 than the broccoli-brown of Ridgway. Underparts from chin to 

 base of tail a dark brown slightly or not grizzled, the exact 

 shade varying from a dark hair-brown to broccoli-brown. This 

 extends down inner side of hind legs to feet, where it becomes 

 nearly black, and involves entire foi'e leg except the uppermost 

 outer portion. Onfoi^efeet and outer portion of leg below elbow 

 it becomes blackish. 



Shull. — The skull is narrow and rather high, mastoid breadth 

 less than occipital depth including bullae, with deep short rostrum 

 (depth at front of orbit greater than distance from orbit to tip of 

 premaxillary) and small orbit (vertical diameter less than depth 

 of rostrum at canine) completely encircled by bone in the adult 

 and with the circular form always clearly indicated by the long 

 drooping postorbital process and the distinct orbital process of 

 the zygoma rising to meet it. Anteorbital foraman small, higher 

 than wide, over space between jpm- and pm^. Median back- 

 ward prolongation of palate conspicuous, extending rather moi-e 

 than half way to hamulars, its posterior border squarely truncate 



