134 GALIDIA AND ITS SPECIES. 



être décrite sous Ie nom de Galidia olivacea ; le troisième , 

 qui ne la présente pas, est celui d'une autre Galidia elegans , 

 adulte comme la précédente et plus agée même , a eii juger 

 par I'etat de I'ossificatiou du crane," and lie therefore con- 

 cluded "I'existence ou 1 'absence de cette molaire accessoire 

 n'est done pas même un caractère spécifique." — How to 

 explain this discordance? 



The auditory bulbus in G. concolor is backwards and 

 downwards sack-shaped dilated as in various species of 

 Herpestes , in G. elegans on the other hand it resembles 

 more that part as it is in Mustela. The form of the audi- 

 tory bulbus of G. olivacea is just intermediate between the 

 two other species. The foremost part of the skull is more 

 developed in G. concolor and olivacea than in elegans , whilst 

 in the latter the hind part of the skull is more developed. 

 In two skulls of the same size I find the following very 

 striking differences in the measures. 



elegans. concolor. 

 m. m. m. m. 



Length of the skull 70 70 



Distance between the eye-hole and inter- 

 maxillary 19 21.5 



Distance between the eye-hole and occipital 



crest 54 50 



Distance between the auditory bullae . . 10 8 



Width between jugalia 40 38 



Smallest width on the upper surface of 



the skull 14 15.5 



The skulls of our G. olivacea belong to immature indi- 

 viduals, but proportionally they agree much more with 

 the skulls of concolor than with those of elegans. 



The shape of the skull and dentition of G. concolor and olivacea 

 are nearly the same and greatly differ from G. elegans. 



It must here be observed that G. concolor and olivacea also 

 agree with respect to the length of the claws of the hands , 

 which are much larger and less arched than these parts in 

 G. elegans. 



JN'otes from the Leyden IVIuseum* 



