262 LLOYD’S NATURAL HISTORY. 
all 
a paler or more rufous area.” Limbs uniformly dark brown or 
black, and tail with a long black tip. Fur brown at the base; 
the longer hairs with three or four rings of pale yellowish-grey, 
alternating with the same number of black ones, or merely one 
or two rings of each colour near the base, and the remainder 
of the hairs ferruginous. Length of head and body, 21 inches ; 
of tail, with hair, 15 inches, without hair, 13 inches. 
Distribution Southern India, Malabar Coast, and Ceylon. 
XVIII. THE PALE-NECKED MUNGOOSE. HERPESTES SEMI- 
TORQUATUS. 
Flerpestes semitorguatus, Gray, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. xviii. 
p. 211 (1846); Anderson, Zool. Anat. Research. Exped 
Yun-nan, p. 191 (1878). 
Characters.—Specially distinguished by the pale area on the 
neck, and the orange-brown tinge of the fur. 
Size rather large; tail about two-thirds the length of the 
head and body ; tarsus hairy beneath the heel. General colour 
rich orange-brown, becoming more brightly rufous on the 
sides of the body, finely speckled with yellow on the back 
and upper portion of the sides; lower half of the side of 
the neck, from the muzzle backwards, rufous-yellow, without 
speckling, this area standing out in marked contrast to the 
speckled dark brown of the upper part of the neck ; fore-legs 
and lower half of hind-legs dark purplish-brown ; upper sur- 
face of head less rufous than back; under-parts rich ferru- 
ginous-brown, like the sides; tail uniformly coloured, much 
grizzled, owing to the long pale yellow tips of the hairs. 
Under-fur pale yellowish-brown at the base, and orange-yellow 
towards the tips; the longer hairs on the sides of the body 
rich orange-red, below which there is an indistinct brown 
band, while the basal portion is pale brown or yellow. On 
the back the hairs terminate in a short brown tip, preceded 
9 —— 
