126 Y1VERRID.E. 



beast, and the growling is generally accompanied by a bristling 

 of the hair, especially of the tail. It is cleanly in its habits, and, 

 after feeding, picks its teeth with its claws, a habit that has been 

 noticed by more than one observer. 



The name H. griseus, adopted by many authors for this species, 

 is taken from Greoffroy's Ichneumon griseus, which does not, I think, 

 belong to the Indian animal at all ; whilst Grineliu's name, derived 

 from the Mungos or .Viverra mungos of Kaempfer and Linnaeus, 

 clearly by its name and description was intended for the common 

 Indian uiungoose, and has priority by more than twenty years. 



61. Herpestes smitM. The ruddy Mungoose. 



Herpestes smithii, Gray, Charlesicorth 's Maq. Nat. Hist, i, p. 578 



(1837) ; id. P. Z. S. 1851, p. 181, pi. xxx ; Sfyth, Cat. p. 50 ; Jcrdon, 



Mam. p. 135 ; Anderson, An. Zool. Res. p. 176. 

 Herpestes thysamirus, Wagner, Munch. Gel. Anz. ix, p. 440 (1839) ; 



Schreb. Sangeth. Supp. ii, p. 301. 



Crcssarclius rubiginosus, Wagner, Schreb. Siiugeth. Supp. ii. p. 329. 

 Herpestes ellioti, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xx, p. 162. 

 Herpestes rubiginosus, Kelaart, Prod. p. 43. 

 Herpestes jerdonii and Calictis sinithii, Gray, P. Z. S. 1S64, pp. 550, 



565. 



Herpestes monticolus, Jcrdon, Mam. p. 135. 

 Konda yentava, Tel. ; Erima-kiri-pilai, Tarn.; Dito, Cing. 



Fur long, harsh, and rather ragged. Tail nearly as long as the 

 head and body, or, including the terminal hair, longer. Naked sole 

 beneath tarsus extending nearly to the heel but not quite. 



Skull differing but little from that of H. mungo, except that the 

 mesopterygoid fossa is narrower, and the pterygoids diverge 

 slightly behind. The teeth are a little larger. 



Colour. Varying from light brownish grey speckled with white 

 as in H. mungo, to rufous or iron-grey, a mixture of black, ferru- 

 ginous red, and white. The terminal portion of the tail, 3 or 4 

 inches long, jet-black, passing into ferruginous proximally, re- 

 mainder of the tail coucolorous with the body. Feet generally 

 darker, rufous brown or blackish. Lower parts sometimes paler 

 than back. Underfur grey to greyish brown, longer hairs with 

 alternations of white and dark brown or black, usually four rings of 

 each ; tip from light brown to deep ferruginous, almost blood-red. 



Dimensions. Head and body about 20 inches, tail 19. Some 

 measurements are smaller. A male skull measures 3 inches in 

 basal length, and 1'7 broad across the zygoinatic arches. 



Distribution. This species has a wide range in India, being 

 found throughout the peninsula and Ceylon. Jerdpn obtained it 

 near Madras, near Nellore, and at the foot of the Nilgiris ; Col. 

 McMaster at Gawilgurh, Berar. Mr. Ball found it in Singh- 

 bhooin ; I procured what I believe was this species in the Eajpipla 

 hills east of Surat ; there is a skin in Mr. Hume's collection from 

 Sambhur in Kajputana; and the type of H. thysanurus, which is 



