246 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 
that the latter are generally completely surrounded by bone, 
whereas in the Civets an@Palm-Civets they are incomplete 
posteriorly. 
The genus has a distribution equivalent to that of the Sub- 
family, and is the second one in the Family which ranges into 
the south of Europe, the other being Geve/za. 
The most convenient arrangement will be found to treat 
the various species mainly according to their geographical dis- 
tribution, commencing with the typical Palearctic form. Two 
African forms, allied to the members of the next genus, will, 
however, be considered after the Oriental species. 
I. THE EGYPTIAN MUNGOOSE. HERPESTES ICHNEUMON. 
Viverra ichneumon, Linn., Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. 1. p. 63 (1766). 
Lchneumon pharaon, Lacépede, Mém. Instit. Paris, vol. iii. p. 
492 (1801). 
Ichneumon egyptt, Tiedemann, Zool. vol. i. p. 364 (1808). 
fTerpestes pharaonis, Geoffroy, Descrip. de lEgypte, vol. ii. 
p..139 (1812): 
flerpestes numidicus, F. Cuvier, Hist. Nat. Mamm. pt. Ixviii. 
(1834). 
Flerpestes widdringtont, Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. ix. 
p- 50 (1842). 
Flerpestes dorsalis, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 549. 
fTerpestes ichneumon, Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1832, p. 64. 
(Plate XX XT.) 
Characters.—Size large, form slender; tail about three-quarters 
the length of the head and bcdy ; fur long, more especially on 
the rump and root of the tail. General colour dark grizzled 
greyish-brown, the hairs being ringed with dark reddish-brown 
and creamy-yellow, but the tips of those on the back of a 
darker yellow; the thick and woolly under-fur bright rufous. 
Tip of tail shining black, with the hairs elongated into a kind 
of tassel, which may reach as much as five inches beyond the 
