114 'Ml. Iv. I. Pocock on the Species of 



cited as Galidictis striata and the uairow-banded form, 

 G. vittata. 



Fisclier (Syn. Mamm. p. 171, 1S29) long ago pointed out 

 tliat the ohlcst name for tlie species described by Desmarest 

 as Vivcrra striata is fasciata, assigned to it by Grmelin ; and 

 Schwavz (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) vii. p. (J'iS'i, 1911) has 

 recently given publicity to the same opinion, without citing 

 Fischer, adding that the species described as V. striata by 

 Desmarest is tlie Galidictis striata of later authors and of the 

 present time, ignoring the circumstance that Galidictis striata 

 is — rjenerally, at all events — ascribed to Greoffroy St. Ililaire 

 or Cavier, and not to Desmarest. I have not troubled 

 to trace the history of this animal through the voluminous 

 bibliography of mammals, but the facts essenrial to my 

 present purpose are as follows: — 



Gmelin (Syst. Nat. i. p. 92, 1788) gave the name Viverra 

 fasciata to the animal described and figured by Sonnerat as 

 " Le chat sauvage a bandes noires des Indes " {' Voyage aux 

 Inde?,' etc., ii. p. 163, pi. xc, 1782). This figure, or the 

 a.iimal represented by it, if extant, is therefore the type. 



Since Sonnerat described the colour of the iris and tl\e shape 

 of the pupil of the eye, it is clear that his description was 

 taken from a living specimen in his possession at the time, 

 lieliance therefore must be placed upon the characters he 

 assigned to it. He described the colour as grey, washed with 

 red (*' lav^ de roux ") on the lower side of the head and neck, 

 upon the thighs and feet, the belly being white. Tiiere are 

 six black bands upon the body, beginning behind the head 

 and ending towartls the tail, which is covered with a mixture 

 of black and reddish hairs (" garnie de polls noirs et de poils 

 rousf^atres^'). The tail also was described as slender ("gr^le"), 

 which in this connection meant short-haired. 



Tlie colour of the tail and of the throat and limbs, as well 

 as the slenderness of the tail, are to be particularly noted. 



Buffon (Hist. Nat., Suppl. vii. p. 231, 1789) described the 

 same species, with a new figure, as " Le putois ray^ de 

 rinde''; and Desmarest (' .Mammalogie,' p. 210, 1820) 

 gave it the technical name Viverra striata, referring to 

 Gmelin's, Sonnerat's, and BufFon's descriptions, but ignoring 

 Gmeliu's specific name and adopting Buffon^s illustration. 



Now, it may be noted that Buffbn's figure and description, 

 although agreeing in the main with Sonnerat's, differ in 

 some significant particulars, especially as regards the colour 

 of the tail. Of the tail he says, '' la queue ... est couverte 

 do poils bruns meles de fauve comme le dessus de I'occiput." 



