THE CAFFRE MUNGOOSE. 247 



bone. Feet dark brown ; the under surface of the metatarsus 

 and tarsus generally quite naked, but the heel itself occasionally 

 hairy. Teeth sharp and slender ; the upper carnassial more 

 than double the length of the last molar ; and the last lower 

 molar with only two cusps on its outer side. Length of head 

 and body, about 20 inches; of tail, 15 to 17 inches. 



Distribution. — Southern Spain, Asia Minor, Palestine, and 

 Africa north of the Sahara. 



The habits of this species may be considered in connection 

 with the next. With regard to the occasional presence of 

 hair on the heel, Mr. Thomas remarks "that a partly hairy 

 sole seems to be accompanied by an increased length of the 

 hallux, as though certain individuals or families were accus- 

 tomed, probably on account of the nature of the soil, to walk 

 in a more digitigrade manner than usual, and the hallux w.re 

 in these cases elongated sufficiently to reach the ground. In 

 H. galera I have found the same thing, there being one of our 

 West African specimens of that species with a hairy sole and 

 elongated hallux." 



II. THE CAFFRE MUNGOOSE. HERPESTES CAFFER. 



Viverra caffra, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 85 (1788). 

 Herpestes madagascariensis, A. Smith, S. African Quart. Journ. 



vol. ii. p. 114 (1835). 

 Herpestes bennetlii, Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. i. p. 578 (1837). 

 Herpestes caffer, Blyth, Cat. p. 52 (1863) ; Thomas, Proc. Zool. 



Soc. 1882, p. 66. 

 Characters. — Somewhat larger than the last, but similarly 

 coloured, except that the rings on the longer hairs are rather 

 narrower, and are pure black and white in colour, thus com- 

 municating a clearer grey tinge to the whole pelage, while the 

 under-fur is dark dull rufous or dark greyish-brown. Under 

 surface of tarsus invariably naked. Skull longer and narrower 

 than in H. ichneumon, the width being always less (instead cf 



