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 
H1. 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.” 
Il. 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 bennettii, 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. schneumon, the width being always less (instead of 
