122 VIVERRIN.E. 



dark mark on the cheek ; tail ringed with, dark bands ; feet dark. Size 

 of the last, or nearly so. 



This species differs chiefly from F. Zihetha in the more pronounced 

 chai'acter of the dark marks, and in the purer gray of the ground colour ; 

 and it would perhaps be considered by some as a climatal variety ; indeed, 

 Mr. Blyth himself, in a note to this species (Cat. p. 44), says "the differ- 

 ence however is scarcely greater from V. Zihetha than in the most dissi- 

 milar examples of Felis bengalensis." All that I have seen, however, were 

 quite true to the particular type of marking, and in no case showed any 

 tendency to the uniformity of coloration sometimes met with in Zihetha. 



The Malabar civet-cat is found throughout the Malabar coast, from 

 the latitude of Honore at all events to Cape Comorin, and very possibly 

 it extends further north. It inhabits the forests and the richly wooded 

 low land chiefly, but is occasionally found on the elevated forest tracts 

 of Wynaad, Coorg, kc. It is very abundant in Travancore, whence I 

 have had many specimens. It is not recorded from Ceylon, but most 

 probably will be found there. I have procured it close to my own house 

 at Tellicherry, and seen specimens from the vicinity of Honore. I 

 never obtained it from the Eastern Ghats nor in Central India. It is 

 stated by the natives to be very destructive to poultry. 



Viverra Tangalunga, Gray, is very closely allied to V. Zihetha. It 

 inhabits the Malayan peninsula and islands as far as the Philippines. 

 V. Civetta, vera, is fi'om Africa. 



2nd group. Size small, vermiform ; nails more raptorial ; thumb 

 remote ; of scansorial habits. 



s. g. Vivo-ricula, Hodgson. 



121. Viverra malaccensis. 



Gmelin. — Blyth, Cat. 143.— F. indica, Geoffroy. — Elliot, Cat. 20. 

 — F. ^asse, HoRSFiELD, apud Sykes, Cat. — F. 2)cdnda, Gray (variety), 

 figd. Hardwicke, 111. Ind. Zool. 2, pi. G.—Mushak hilli, Yi.—Kasturi, 

 Mahr. ; also Joifddi manjur — Gando gaida or Gatidha gohd, Beng. — 

 Pilnagin hek, Can. — Punagd pilli, Tel., these names all signifying musk- 

 cat j popularly Kaids, Beng. — Sayer and Bug-nyul, in the Nepal Terai. 



The Lesser Civet-cat. 

 Descr. — Tawny gi-ay or grayish-brown, with several longitudinal lines 



