280 Mr. O. Thomas on 



easy to understand Boulenger^s transference of tlie family to 

 the Heteiomi, witli which they liave practically nothing in 

 common. 



Tliere are two genera, Fieraffer and JordaniciiSj widely 

 distributed in tropical and temperate seas. 



XXXVII. — Tivo nezo West-African Mammals, 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the Biitish Museum.) 



Mungos plioenicwius, sp. n. 



A small species with the terminal pencil of the (ail rich 

 reddish. 



General appearance that of the members of the gracilis 

 group of the genus, apart from the red tail-tip. Colour most 

 nearly approaching that of a pale Lake Zuai specimen of 

 M, gracilis, far paler than the West- African M. melanuriis. 

 General coloui- of back approaching '^clay-colour," ])aler and 

 more buffy on the shoulders, more rufous on the posterior 

 lack. Head as usual greyer than bac-k, but still witli a bufFy 

 tone in it, Sides grizzled bufFy. Under surface uniform 

 buff, the throat more ■' cream-bufl." Hands and feet dull 

 buflf'y, rather darker than " cream-bufF," Tail coarsely 

 grizzled with black and bufFy above, uniform ochraceous bufF 

 below; the full terminal pencil deep tawny rufous. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in the flesh) : — 



Head and body 330 mm, ; tail 289; hind foot 61 ; ear 28. 



Skull : condylo-bas;\l length 68'3 ; zygomatic breadth 33*5 ; 

 palatal length 35*4: ; greatest diameter of p^ 7'7. 



Hah. Panyam, Bauchi Province, N. Nigeria. Alt. 4000'. 



Type. Ohl male. B.M, no. 12, 7. 9. 2. Collected 12th 

 Feltruary, 1912, and presented by the late Rev. G. T. Fox. 



The only other known mu'igoose with a red tail-tip is 

 11, sanguineus, Riippell, of Kordofan, which is considerably 

 smaller (hind foot 50-54: mm.), is lighter coloured throughout, 

 and has the under surface white instead of buffy. 



In Mr. Wroughton's monograph of this group he assigned 

 to AI. sanguineus an example from Suakiu with the tail-tip 

 " half chocolate-brown and half black," but the conspicuous 

 and evidently natural red tail-tip of the N. Nigerian species 

 Jeads me to think that sanguineus has also a really red tail- 

 tip and that the Suakin specimen is merely one of the ordinary 



