CATALOGUE. 61 



Viverra hermaphrodita, Pallas. Schreb. Saength. IV. p. 426. 



Viverra nigra, Desmar., Mamm. p. 208. 



? Genette de France, Buf., Hist. Nat. Suppl. III. p. 236, 



t. 47. 

 OOD, of the Mahrattas. 



HAS. Continental India. 



A. Presented by Colonel Sykes. 



While the Paradoxurus typus appears to be confined exclusively to 

 Continental India, the Paradoxurus musanga is largely distributed 

 through the Indian Archipelago, and as there exists a great family 

 resemblance between the two species, they have frequently been con- 

 sidered identical. The colour of the P. typus is more uniform, and ge- 

 nerally blackish, and the longitudinal bands along the back are obscure, 

 while in the P. musanga they are more prominent and apparent. The 

 former is very carefully described by M. Temminck (Monogr. Mamm. 

 II. pp. 316, 7). A specimen in the Company's Museum, from the Col- 

 lection of Mammalia made by Colonel Sykes in Dukhun, is banded lon- 

 gitudinally on the back, but the character of the hairy covering agrees 

 with the descriptions of specimens contained in the Leyden and British 

 Museums. 



Colonel Sykes gives the following account of the habits and pecu- 

 liarities of this species. " This animal, which is by no means rare in 

 Dukhun, is always lively, and a specimen in my possession was re- 

 markable for the energy with which during the night-time, it chased 

 round the cage. Its carnivorous propensities were so strong that it 

 snapped off and devoured the heads of all fowls that incautiously ap- 

 proached its cage ; but on board ship it was fed entirely on rice and 

 clarified butter. In the stomachs of some individuals examined at 

 Poona, I found fruit, vegetables, and Blattae or black beetles." 



that the tail is straight, and without any permanent inflection, and my ovrn observa- 

 tions confirm this remark. M. Temminck (Monogr. Mamm. II. p. 312), has the 

 following note on this point. " Gen. Paradoxurus: nom generique, donne a 

 tout hasard par F. Cuvier, dont il faut se garder de rendre 1'application strictement 

 applicable a aucune des especes de ce groupe. Nous conservons ce nom, tout 

 vicieux qu'il est, vu qu'il se trouve adopte dans le plus grand nombre des catalogues 

 methodiques ; toutefois nous prions d'observer que la queue, chez toutes les especes 

 du genre, est droite, lache et en aucune maniere prehensible ou capable de s'enrouler 

 autour des branches, comme le fait Varcticte Binturong ; leur queue ne differede celle 

 des autres viverrins, qu'en ce qu'elle est plus longue." 



