462 CARNIVORES. 



tail 27 inches. When taken young it is said to be readily tamed. The small size 

 of the cheek-teeth — especially the nearly triangular form of the upper flesh-tooth 

 — suggests that it feeds largelj^ upon vegetable substances. The second species is 

 closely allied, having three similar dark stripes down the back. 



The Hemigales. 



Genus Hemigale. 



Another type of palm-civet is represented by the so-called Hemigale, for wliich 

 there does not appear to be any recognised English title. Of this genus there ai-e 

 two species, the one, Hardwicke's hemigale {H. hardwickei), found both in the 

 Malaj- Peninsula and Borneo, and the other, or Hose's hemigale {H. hosei), confined 

 to Mount Dulit in the northern part of the latter island, where it has only recently 

 been discovered. The hemigales are distinguished from the other palm-civets by 

 having a much smaller portion of the soles of the feet naked, and likewise by their 

 coloration, which is diflerent from that of any other representatives of the family, 

 although approached to some extent by the linsangs. This characteristic coloration 

 takes the form, in the tj'pical Hardwicke's hemigale, of a variable number of broad 

 transverse dark bands crossing tlie back, of which tlie ground-colour is a pale 

 brownish-grey ; the number of these bands being very generally either five or six. 

 There are also some dark longitudinal stripes on the nape of the neck ; while the 

 upper half of the tail is banded with dark ring.s. A j)eeuliarity of these animals is 

 that the direction of the liair on the back of the neck is reversed. Their habits 

 are probably very similar to those of the other jialm-civets. 



The Afkicax Palm-Civet. 

 Genus Xanclinia. 



The last member of this group is the African palm-civet {JVan(Unia binotata), 

 which although nearly allied to the Oiiental forms is distinguished by certain 

 structural peculiarities in the skull, and also by having a shorter nmzzle than any 

 other member of the family to which it belongs. The fur is of a gi'ej'ish-brown colour, 

 with the back and sides marked with large dark spots, and a pale spot on either side 

 of the shoulders from which it takes its second scientific name. The tail, which is 

 about two-thii'ds the length of the head and bodj', is indistinctly ringed with dark 

 bands ; the animal thus being the fourth representative of the palm-civets in which 

 the tail is thus ornamented. In size this animal is rather smaller than the average 

 of the typical palm-civets. 



The African palm-civet is found on the ^Yest Coast, in the district of Fernando 

 Po ; and it will be thus apparent that it presents precisely the same relation to the 

 Oriental palm-civets in respect to geographical distribution as is presented by the 

 African linsang to its Eastern cousins. AYe are not acquainted with any account 

 of the habits of this animal, but the nature of the teeth suggests that it lives largely 

 on flesh. 



