220 HYSTUIClN.^i:. 



This species is common in Ceylon, whence Mr. Blytla formerly named 

 a young specimen as distinct. It occnrs also in Afghanistan, and j)ro- 

 bably in other parts of Asia. 



205. Hystrix bengalensis. 



Blyth, J. A. S. XX. 179. — Cat. p. 128. — //. malaharica, Sclater, 

 P. Z. S. 1865 (fid. Blyth). 



The Bengal Porcupine. 



Descr. — Smaller than hucrira ; crest small and thin, the bristles 

 blackish ; body spines ranch flattened, ai)d strongly grooved, ter- 

 minating in a slight seta ; slender flexible quills much fewer than in 

 leucura, white, with a narrow black band about the centre ; the thick 

 quills basally white, the rest black, mostly with a white tip ; a distinct 

 white demi-collar ; s])ines of lumbar region white, as are those of the 

 tail and rattle ; muzzle less hirsute than in leucura. 



Length of one, head and body 28 inches ; tail 8. 



Blyth compai'ed this species with the hill porcupine, which it resembles 

 in its smaller crest, and also in its general characters, but it more resem- 

 bles leucura in the proportion of the large quills and other points. He 

 has quite recently written me from England that he considers the por- 

 cupine recently described by Sclater as H. malaharica to be the same a,s 

 his hengalensis. Sclater describes it as having a great general resem- 

 blance to leucura, but differing in the less bristly snout and the longer 

 tail, as also in many of the quills being orange-coloured in the place of 

 white, especially some of the spines of the back and tail, whilst others 

 were black and white, as in the common kind. If Mr. Blyth is right 

 in his identification of the two species, the orange colour of the quills 

 would ai)pear to be only a local variation ; and even this does not appear 

 to be constant, for Mr. Day, who first noticed the orange porcupine, 

 states that in captivity they lose much of their orange colour, and its 

 vividness greatly decreases when they are ill. Besides the general 

 points of distinction between leucura and malaharica, Mr. Sclater points 

 out a few slight peculiarities in the form of the skull of the latter. 



The Bengal Porcupine is found in Lower Bengal, extending into Assam 

 and Arrakau ; and also in South INIalabar, if Blyth's identification lie 

 correct. Nothing peculiar is recorded of its habits. Mr. Day states that 



