250 Lloyd's natural history. 



iv. the slender mungoose. herpestes gracilis. 

 Herpestes gracilis, Riippell, Neue Wirbelth. p. 29 (1S35) ; 



Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1882, p. 68, 1S93, p. 501 ; 



Bocage, J. Sci. Lisboa, scr. 2, vol. i. p. 178 (1889). 

 Herpestes mutgige/la, Riippell, loc. cit. 

 Cynictis vielanura^ Martin, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1836, p. 56. 

 Herpestes badius, Smith, Illustr. S. African Zool. pi. iv. (1838). 

 Ichneumia nigricaudatus i Geoffroy, Mag. Zool. 1839, P- l §- 

 Herpestes ochraceus y Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1848, p. 138. 

 Herpestes gir/im'eri, Guerin, Voyage Abyssrn. Zool. pi. i. 



(1847-48). 

 Herpestes lefebvrci, Des Murs. & Prev. in Lefebvr. Voyage 



Abyss. Zool. Atlas, pi. i. (1850); Pocage, op. cit. p. 179. 

 Herpestes ornatus, Peters, Reise Mossambique, Mamm. p. 117 



(1852). 

 Herpestes ochromelas^ Pucheran, Rev. Mag. Zool. ser. 2, vol. 



vii. p. 393 (1855). 

 Herpestes iodoprytnnus^ Heuglin, Nova Acta Ac. Cass. Lcop.- 



Car. vol xxix. p. 23 (1861). 

 Herpestes adai/ensis, Heuglin, Peterm. Mitth. 1861, p. 17. 

 Calogale grantt\ p. 561, C venatica, p. 563, Cray, Pro". Zool. 



Soc. 1864. 

 Galerella ocJiracca, Gray, op. cit. p. 5^4. 

 Herpestes mutscheltschela, Heuglin, Reise N. O. Afrika, vol. ii. 



p. 41 (1877). 

 Herpestes riificauda, Heuglin, op. cit. p. 43. 

 Herpestes melanurus i Matschie, Mittheil. deutsch. Schutzgebie- 



ten, vol. vi. art. 3. p. 11 (1893). 

 Characters. — This is a very variable species, agreeing with the 

 two preceding ones in the black tip to its tail, but readily distin- 

 guished by its markedly inferior size. The form is slender; the 

 tail slightly shorter than the head and body; the fur of medium 

 length, and not elongated either at the root or the tip of the 



