724 Mr. O. Thomas on 



LXXXI. — Four new African Carnivores. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



(rublished by peruiiasion of the Trustees of the British Musevm>.} 



Helogale vetuJa, sp. n, 



A species nearly witliout the buffy and rufoils tones 

 cliiiracteristic o£ the other central and northern species. 



General colour above finely grizzled grey, very much 

 as in H. atkinsoni, but with still less suffusion of buffy. 

 Head minutely speckled "smoke-grey"; no rufous or buffy 

 on the sides of the face. Under surface scarcely lighter than 

 back, the belly brownish grey, the throat and inguinal 

 region drabby, washed inconspicuously with dull buffy. 

 Sides of neck behind ears rather stronger buffy. Limbs 1 ke 

 body to the metapodials, the latter and the digits dull 

 pinkish buff. Tail grizzled, its tip and median line below 

 slightly buify. 



Teeth of medium size. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in flesh) : — 



Head and body 215 mm.; tail (perhaps shortened in con- 

 finement) 130; hind foot 44; ear 25. 



Skull : condylo-basal length 50*5 ; zygomatic breadth 32; 

 interorbital breadth 10*4 ; breadth of brain-case 23'5 ; 

 palatal length 24 ; breadth between outer corners of p* 19; 

 ^y*, length on outer edge o"8, greatest diameter 5*1 ; breadth 

 of m^ 4-7. 



JJab. Lamu, coast of British East Africa. 



Type. Adult male. B.M. no. 11. 10. 26. 1. Presented 

 alive to the Zoological Society by the Rev. W. D. 

 Braginton, and given at death to the National Museum. 



This species is at once distinguished from the other East 

 African forms of Helogalehj the almost complete suppression 

 of the buffy, rufous, or ochraceous tones generally present, 

 especially on the muzzle, cheeks, and under surface. Even 

 the comparatively greyisii Somali species, IJ. atkinsoni, is 

 tawny or ochraceous on tiie throat and inguinal region, 

 though, like //. veiula, it has a greyisii head. 



From H. hirtula the present species is separated by its 

 buffy instead of blackish toes. 



Helogale 'percivali, sp. n. 



A dark gi'ey species with blackish limbs. 



Eur close, finely speckled, not loose and shaggy as in 



