250 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 
IV. THE SLENDER MUJ@0OSE. HERPESTES GRACILIS, 
Flerpestes gracilis, Rtippell, Neue Wirbelth. p. 29 (1835); 
Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc... 1882, -—p. 68, 1893, ‘p. Seas 
Bocage, J. Sci. Lisboa, ser. 2, vol. i. p. 178 (1889). 
Llerpestes mutgigella, Rippell, loc. cit. 
Cynictis melanura, Martin, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1836, p. 56. 
Ferpestes badius, Smith, Illustr. S. African Zool. pl. iv. (1838). 
Ichneumta nigricaudatus, Geoffroy, Mag. Zool. 1839, p. 18. 
Flerpestes ochraceus, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1848, p. 138. 
flerpestes galiniert, Guerin, Voyage Abyssin. Zool. pl. i. 
(1847-48). 
flerpestes lefebvret, Des Murs. & Prev. in Lefebvr. Voyage 
Abyss. Zool. Atlas, pl. i. (1850); Bocage, of. cit. p. 179. 
Lerpestes ornatus, Peters, Reise Mossambique, Mamm. p. 117 
(1852). 
flerpestes ochromelas, Pucheran, Rev. Mag. Zool. ser. 2, vol. 
Vii. p. 393 (1855). 
flerpestes todoprymnus, Heuglin, Nova Acta Ac. Cees. Leop.- 
War. vol, xxix", 23°( 1561). 
LHHerpestes adailensis, Heuglin, Peterm. Mitth. 1861, p. 17. 
Calogale grantt, p. 561, C. venatica, p. 563, Gray, Proc. Zool. 
Soc. 1864. 
Galerella ochracea, Gray, op. cit. p. 564. 
Flerpestes mutscheltschela, Heuglin, Reise N. O. Afrika, vol. ii. 
p. 41 (1877). 
Flerpestes ruficauda, Heuglin, of. cit. p. 43. 
Ler pestes melanurus, Matschie, Mittheil. deatsch. Schutzgebie- 
ten, vol. vi. att. 3, p. 11 (17893). 
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 
