180 MUSTELID^E. 



day sleeping in a hole that it bad dug and was very savage if 

 disturbed. When angry it made a loud grunting noise and bit 

 fiercely. It was dull of sight, and its only acute sense appeared 

 to be that of smell. It was in the habit of raising its snout in the 

 air in order to scent anyone who approached, much as a pig does. 

 This animal had no disagreeable smell. 



Anderson observed an individual, that was kept in the Zoological 

 Gardens of Calcutta, pound plantains to a pulp with its snout 

 before sucking them into its mouth. 



McMaster met with this species near Shwe-Gyeng in Pegu, and 

 observed its bear-like gait, which was also noticed by Duvaucel. 

 It is said to support itself easily in an erect position on its hind 

 feet much as bears do. 



91. Arctonyx taxoides. The small Hog-badger. 



Arctonyx taxoides, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xxii, p. 691 (1853); id. Cat. 



p. 71 ; Anderson, An. Zool. Res. p. 196. 

 ? Meles albogularis, Blyth, J. A.S.B. xxii, p. 590. 

 ? Meles leucolfemus, M.-Edw. An. Sci. Nat. (5) viii, 1867, p. 374 ; 



id. Recherches Mam. p. 195, pis. xxiv, xxvi, xxvii, xxviii. 

 ? Arctonyx obscurus, M.-Edw. Rech. Mam. p. 338, pis. Iviii, Ixii. 



" Adult about half the size of the adult of A. collaris, having a 

 much finer and longer coat, .... the muzzle less broad and hog- 

 like ; .... the ears also are proportionally smaller; the tail is 

 shorter, and the colour and markings, though similar, are much 

 brighter. Dentition of the upper jaw similar in the two species ; 

 in the lower jaw the interspace between the second and third pre- 

 molars is proportionally much greater in A. collaris than in A. 

 taxoides." (Blyth, I. c.) 



Dimensions. The skull of a fully adult female measures : Ex- 

 treme length (that is, doubtless, from occiput to anterior border of 

 premaxillaries) 4| inches, breadth across zygomata 2|, length of 

 bony palate 2|, width at posterior great molar (? between hinder 

 molars) -j-|. The corresponding measurements in an old female of 

 A. collaris are 6|, 3|, 3, and ly 1 ^. (Blyth, I. c.) 



Distribution. Assam and Arakan, perhaps also China. The above 

 details are from Blyth's original description, and are confirmed by 

 Anderson. I have been unable to examine specimens of late. 

 Mr. W. L. Sclater has recently sent to me some additional notes on 

 the dentition of the types of A. taxoides. He finds that the last 

 upper premolar is trapezoidal in section, and has no tubercles on 

 the inner side ; the corresponding tooth of A. collaris is subtrian- 

 gular in section, and bears one or two inner tubercles. 



No true badger of the genus Meles, with a bony palate much less 

 produced backwards than in Arctonyx, has hitherto been observed 

 within the limits of India or its dependencies ; but a species has 

 been recorded from Tibet, north of Nepal and Sikhim, and may 

 occur in Western Tibet also or in parts of the Himalayas. This 

 animal was described by Hodgson as Taxidea leucura (J. A. S. B. 



