HERPESTES BRACHYURUS. 47 



I fail to detect in the list of the specimens of H. hrachyurus 

 in the British Museum , kindly sent to me by Mr. Oldfield 

 Thomas, 



Together with the Jlf?/c?ai<5-specimen Dr. Schadenberg 

 presented to our Museum a Herpestes-%^e.c\men from the 

 same interesting locality — the Calamianes-islands. 



This specimen is of about the same size as an adult 

 H. brachyurus-specimen and differs from all other Herpestes- 

 species together with H. hrachyurus by its short tail. 



Although our Sumatra-specimen seems to be somewhat 

 darker colored than our Borneo-individual from Biittikofer's 

 collections, and its skull (both specimens are apparently 

 fullgrown) somewhat smaller, I think there can be no 

 doubt as to their specific identity. 



The Calamianes-specimen , however , presents a less dark 

 colored hue, the extremities are not black, and the light 

 rings which produce the grizzled appearance are of a 

 reddish brown; the tail is less hairy, meanwhile these hairs 

 are of a blackish brown color. The named differences in 

 mode of coloring may be unimportant, I confess it, but 

 together with striking differences in the bony parts they 

 become of more significant value. 



That the Calamianes-specimen is very adult, is proved 

 by the ankylosed skull-bones, but above all things by the 

 very weared out condition of the dentition and by the 

 absence of some small teeth ; even no trace can be detected 

 of the alveoles of three wanting upper and lower incisors 

 and of the absent anterior small upper and lower premolars. 

 And this very old skull is a good deal smaller than the 

 skull of our old ') Sumatra-specimen , as the following 

 figures may illustrate : 



Sumatra-sp. Calamianes-sp. 



greatest length of skull. . . .91 mm. 76 mm. 



» broadness of braincase . 34 » 31 » 



1) It is so old, that the midmost right upper incisor and the first right 

 premolar have fallen out and their alveoles are filled up by bony substance. 



Notes from tlae Leyden TMuseum , Vol. XVII. 



