114 Mr. R. I. Pocock on the Species of 



cited as Galidictis striata and the narrow-banded form, 

 G. vittata. 



Fischer (Syn. Mamra. p. 171, 1829) long ago pointed out 

 that the oldest name for the species described by Desmarest 

 as Viverra striata is fasciata, assigned to it by Gmelin ; and 

 Schwarz (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) vii. p. 638, 1911) has 

 recently given publicity to the same opinion, without citing- 

 Fischer, adding that the species described as V. striata by 

 Desmarest is the Galidictis striata of later authors and of the 

 present time, ignoring the circumstance that Galidictis striata 

 ls — generally, at all events — ascribed to Geoffroy St. Hilaire 

 or Cuvier, and not to Desmarest. I have not troubled 

 to trace the history of this animal through the voluminous 

 bibliography of mammals, but the facts essential to my 

 present purpose are as follows: — 



Gmelin (Syst. Nat. i. p. 92, 1788) gave the name Viverra 

 fasciata to the animal described and figured by Sonnerat as 

 " Le chat sauvage a, bandes noires des Indes" (' Voyage aux 

 Indes,' etc., ii. p. 163, pi. xc, 1782). This figure, or the 

 animal represented by it, if extant, is therefore the type. 



Since Sonnerat described the colour of the iris and the shape 

 of the pupil of the eye, it is clear that his description was 

 taken from a living specimen in his possession at the time, 

 lleliance therefore must be placed upon the characters he 

 assigned to it. He described the colour as grey, washed with 

 red (" lave de roux ") on the lower side of the head and neck, 

 upon the thighs and feet, the belly being white. There are 

 six black bands upon the body, beginning behind the head 

 and ending towards the tail, which is covered with a mixture 

 of black and reddish hairs (" garnie de poils noirs et de poils 

 roussatres"). The tail also was described as slender ("grele"), 

 which in this connection meant short-haired. 



The colour of the tail and of the throat and limbs, as well 

 as the slenderness of the tail, are to be particularly noted. 



Buffon (Hist. Nat., Suppl. vii. p. 231, 1789) described the 

 same species, with a new figure, as " Le putois raye de 

 1'Inde"; and Desmarest (« Mammalogie/ p. 210, 1820) 

 gave it the technical name Viverra striata, referring to 

 Gmelin's, Sonnerat's, and Buffon's descriptions, but ignoring 

 Gmelin's specific name and adopting Buffon's illustration. 



Now, it may be noted that Buffon's figure and description, 

 although agreeing in the main with Sonnerat's, differ in 

 some significant particulars, especially as regards the colour 

 of the tail. Of the tail he says, " la queue ... est couverte 

 de poils bruns meles de fauve comme le dessus de l'occiput." 



