(hi the ClaaaiJicaUon of the Mongooses. 515 



ACANTHOCEPilALA. 



Poh/morphus mtnntiis (Goozc), Liihe, 1011 

 \_^. Kckinorhynchus poli/morphus, 13reinser]. 



Hosts: Soniatert'a moUisslma, Pet.sclien^a, 24. ix. 1'J17. 

 Uria grylle, Petsclienga, 22. x. 1017. 



Tlie latter bird appears to be a new host for this species, 

 wliich occurs chii-Hy in various species of ducks and in some 

 other aquatic birds. 



LIT. — The Classificntion of the Mongooses (Mungotidae). 

 By K. I. POCOCK, F'R.S. 



In 1916 (Proc. Zool. Soc. 191(5, pt. i. pp. 340-:i74) I 

 published a comparative study ot" the principal external 

 characters of tlni inonfjooses, grantitifr this group the rank of 

 a fauiily Muiigotidju of the vKluroid, Ilerpe.stoid, or Mungotoid 

 section of the (yarnivora*. 



In this paper I restored to use certain generic names, such 

 as Atilax'\^, Ichneumia, and vlr/e/a, which do not appear in 

 their generic signiticance in modern treatises on the group, 

 the two first being regarded as synonyms of il/«/*yos (//f-r- 

 pesfes) and the last as a synonym of Crossarchus. Since 

 the justification for their resuscitation was not definitely 

 stated in systematic form, and since the reason for thinking 

 the mongooses should rank as a family of the Mungotidje 

 rather than as a 8ubfan)ily of the ViverriJrc, according to the 

 generally adopted practice, was not declared at all, I propose 

 in this paper to make good those defects. 



• The term IIor]>e9toidpft was proposed by Winjre to replace ^Elm-oideH 

 on tlie prounds that the generic nnmo .■Khiru'* unfortunately stands lor 

 one of iho Procyonida? belonjrinp to the C'ynoid or Arctoid section of the 

 order. Hut since llerjteftes, In-infr preoccupied, no lon^rer stands for the 

 typical mongooses, Mutu/os is used instead. Similarly, Mun;;otiiia3 ha.s 

 taken the place of Ilernestiute. Logically, therefore, .Mungotoidoa 

 should be preferred to lierpostoidea if, in accordance with Weber, wo 

 follow W'inge in discarding the title /Kluroidea. 



t Atila.v — or Athyla.r, a.s it should have l)een spelt— means pouchless, 

 and wa.s given by Cuvier to the marsii-mongoose, on the supposition that 

 this animal has no anal sack. .\s I have shown, however [op. cit. p. 30t)), 

 the sack is well developed in this genus. 



