HERPESTES BADIUS. 



The adults of both sexes are nearly alike in regard to colour and size. In 

 the young animal there is a distinct reddish cast over the whole body, but it is 

 much broken by the yellowish and brownish rings which occur on each hair 

 and which appear in this age upon the head and thighs as well as the back. 



At one time I was disposed to regard our animal as identical with Herpestes ruber, Desm.,* 

 but upon comparing it with the description of the latter as furnished by the author just quoted, 

 I found it to differ in many points. In our species, the body, as will be seen by a reference to 

 the measurements, is shorter than the tail ; in that of Desmarest, the tail is four inches shorter 

 than the body ; in ours, the tip of the tail is deep black ; in his, that part is not described 

 as being of a different colour to the rest of the animal. 



The first specimen of this species we obtained was killed near Old Latakoo, and several others 

 were seen between that and Kurichane, which lies about 120 miles more to the eastward. The 

 animal appeared restricted to dry sandy districts abounding in brushwood, and in these, was 

 occasionally seen running from one copse to another. It is extremely shy, and flies on the 

 approach of man to its hiding places with great rapidity; hence only a very few specimens were 

 obtained. Nothing except the remains of insects were found in the stomachs of those we 

 procured ; but if the natives are to be beheved, it feeds with avidity also upon lizards, snakes, 

 mice, &c. 



In addition to this and another new species which we shall hereafter figure, five others 

 inhabit the South of Africa, namely, Herpestes Pharaonis, Desm., H. griseus, Desm., 

 H. urinator, Smith, H. tanianotiis, Smith, and H. albicaudis, Smith.f Before long, however, 

 there is every reason to expect additional species will be added to the preceding, as the 

 Bechuanas X described to us several little quadrupeds clearly differing from any of the fore- 

 going, yet doubtless belonging either to this genus or to Cynictis of Ogilby. 



* Encyclopedie Methodiqnc, (M.ammalogie, fol. 213.) 



t South African Quarterly Journal, New Series, No. 2, part 1, March 1834. 



+ The native tribes (not including the Hottentots) immediately north of the colony. Bechuana is the term 

 which has been invented by themselves to indicate all the clans in that direction who resemble each other 

 in external appearance, and speak the same language. The import of the word proves the propriety of 

 its application, hechuana being the plural of chiiana, signifying alike or similar. 



