A NEW BORNEAN HEKPESTES. 223 



NOTE XXXI. 

 A NEW BORNEAN HERPESTES 



BT 



Dr. P. A. JENTINK, 



April 1903. 



The Resident of Palembang, Sumatra, had the kindness 

 to enrich our collections with four Mammals from different 

 parts of his Residency ; two are specimens of Gymnura 

 Majiesii, one is a Cynogale Bennetti and the fourth a 

 Herpestes hrachyurus. The species are long-known ones, 

 although not very numerous in the Musea; they therefore 

 still are very welcome additions. 



The Controller of the Kikira reports: »that the forestiers 

 »told him that the animal called Tampeline {Gymnura 

 »Raffl,esii) is rather rare in that country; these animals 

 »are living two together in holes on the slope of a pre- 

 »cipice or under the roots of large trees in the virgin 

 » forest, they principally live on small animals (rats, insects 

 »a. s. o.), though they are supposed to live as well on vege- 

 » table matter. My animal however did not like at all the 

 » latter food, but eagerly devored a couple of young mice 

 » which I threw in its dungeon ; it only lived two days 

 »in confinment and especially briefly after its dead emitted 

 »a strong onionsraell". As a curiosity he mentioned that 

 its stomach contained a quantum small stones and sand: 

 to these observations I add, that the mentioned small stones 

 have been preserved and are at a number of thirty about, 

 measuring the largest 22 - 1 1 mm. ! 



Dr. B. Hageu (Die Pflanzen- und Thierwelt von Deli 

 auf der Ostküste Sumatra's) observed: » Dieses sonderbare 

 »Thier scheint selten zu sein, denn ich erhielt ebenfalls nur 

 »zwei und zwar lebendige Exemplare, die jedoch auch nur 

 »einige Tage lebten. Sie waren zieralich trage und schwer- 

 »fallig und batten ein entschieden nachtliches Gebahren, 



Notes from the Leyden IMuseum , ^Vol. XXIII. 



