neio Genus of African Mongooses. 177 



naturally claimed attention first. The result was the disco- 

 very of the complete absence of all external trace of the first 

 dio-jt of the fore-foot — a feature bringing (7, selousi into line 

 with Bdeogah and severing it from Cynictis. It does not 

 appear whether this character was detected by the authors 

 above quoted and dismissed as a taxidermic accident or 

 neglected as unimportant systematically, or not. Possibly 

 the presence of the corresponding digit in Cynictis penicillata 

 was for the moment forgotten *. 



However that may be, the character is, in my opinion, 

 quite sufficient for generic recognition. I pro|)ose, tlierefore, 

 to place C. selousi in a new genus, which may be named and 

 diagnosed as follows: — 



Paracynictis, gcrx. nov. 



Related to Cynictis, but differing in the suppression of 

 digit 1 of the fore-foot, the digital formula being 4 — 4 as ia 

 Bd ogale. 



Type, Cynictis selousi, de Wint. 



Two genera of African mongooses have the same digital 

 formula as Paracynictis — namely, Suricaia and Bdeogale ; 

 but with neither of the last two can the first be associated. 

 Suricata occupies an isolated position in the group, and need 

 not be further considered in this connection ; but, as already 

 stated, Paracynictis selousi bears such a close superficial 

 resemblance to some species of Bdeogale, like B. nigripes, 

 that the main reasons for its exclusion from that genus may 

 be biicfly given. Apart from the differences mentioned by 

 de Wiuton in his original diagnosis, the skull of Paracynictts 

 selousi is very like that of Cynictis penicillata, and shows no 

 special resemblance to the massive skull of Bdeogah. The 

 bulla is larger and more inflated than in Cynictis, and the 

 partition divides it into two subequal chambers, wiiereas in 

 Cynictis the jiosterior chamber is smaller than the anterior. 

 In Bdeogale, on the contrary, the anterior chamber is smaller 

 than the posterior, in B. puisa about half its size. Numeri- 

 cally the teeth of Paracynictis are as in Bdeogale, but, 

 whereas in the former the injutting portions of ;?m*, m^, and 

 w<^ of the upptr jaw are transversely elongated and narrow, 

 in Bdeogale they are very noticeably thicker and more 

 rounded. Similar but h ss well-marked differences occur in 

 the molars of the lower jaw. 



* The coloured figure of C. selousi published by de Winton shows the 

 feature in question quite plainly. 



