478 THE CARNIVORES 



The last of these three species is the crab-eating mungoose (H. urva), remarka- 

 ble on account of its peculiar habits. In size this species (of which we give a 

 figure) is rather smaller than the preceding one, and is characterized by its thick 

 and heavy build, the uniformly-colored tail, and the presence of a narrow white 

 stripe running along each side of the neck, from the angle of the mouth to the 

 shoulder. The crab-eating mungoose is found at low elevations in the Southeastern 

 Himalayas, as well as in Assam, Arakan, Pegu, Tenasserim, and the south of China. 

 It is stated to be of partially aquatic habits, and derives its name from the crabs 

 which, together with frogs, are asserted to form its chief food. Further information 

 as to the habits of this species is, however, still required. 



The remaining representatives of the true mungooses comprise the large Javan 

 mungoose (H. javanicus) and the short-tailed mungoose (H. brachyurus] from the 

 Malay Peninsula and some of the islands of the same region, and the barred 

 muugoose (H. semitorquatus) from the island of Borneo. It has already been men- 

 tioned that a few of the true mungooses have but three premolar teeth on either 

 side of each jaw ; such species being found only in Africa. It may be added that in 

 these species there is always a distinct gap between the tusk or canine tooth and the 

 premolar corresponding with the second in those species having four of these teeth. 

 There occur, however, in Africa two small mungooses with only three premolar 

 teeth, of which the most anterior is placed close up to the tusk, so that there is no 

 gap in the series. These species are also distinguished from their African relatives 

 by their proportionately shorter tails, of which the length is less than that of the 

 body alone. Hence these two animals have been referred to a distinct genus 

 Helogale. Of the two species, the one named H. parvula is an inhabitant of Natal, 

 and is of a grayish-brown color ; while the other H. undulata hails from East 

 Africa, in the Mozambique district, and has the hair of a grizzled rufous tint. Both 

 have naked soles to the hind-feet. 



THE FOUR-TOED MUNGOOSES 

 Genera Cynictis and Bdeogale 



In describing the typical mungooses it was mentioned that the first toes in both 

 fore and hind-feet are of extremely small size. It might have been added that this 

 small size of the first toe is more marked in the hind than in the fore-feet, and that 

 in both limbs these digits appear to be of no functional use. We have now to men- 

 tion three African mungooses in which this small first toe disappears either in the 

 hind-limb alone or in both hind and fore-limbs. The whole of these species have 

 four premolar teeth on either side of each jaw, and are further characterized by the 

 hairiness of the soles of the hind-feet. 



The thick-tailed mungoose (Cynictis penicillata) is the only representative of its 

 genus which is characterized by having four toes on the hind-foot and five on the 

 fore-foot. This animal inhabits the Cape Colony, and is of medium size. It 

 may be readily distinguished from all its allies by its bushy, white-tipped tail, and the 

 peculiar grayish-yellow color of its fur, which is liable to some degree of individual 



