110 Mr. R. C. WrouGrhton on 



XXI. — On the African Mimgooses tistially referred to tlie 

 Herpestes gracilis Group. By R. C. Wroughton. 



The following notes refer to the section of the Herpestinse 

 containing the forms of the small mungoose with a dark 

 tail-tip (usually black, rarely brown) . The members of the 

 section are found all over Africa, varying somewhat in size 

 and colour, as was to be expected. 



The following is a list of the names already given to 

 members of tliis section, so far as I have been able to 

 ascertain : — 



1. 1835. Jlerjyestes sanguineus, Riippell, N. Wirb. Abyss, p. 27. 



2. 1835. Herpestes gracilis, Eiippell, N. \\'irb. Abyss, p. 29. 



3. 1835. Herpestes mutgigella, Riippell, N. Wirb. Abyss, p. 29. 



4. 1836. Ichneumon ratlamuchi, Smith, App. Rep. Exp. C. Afr. p. 42. 



5. 1836. Ichneumon Catmi, Smith, App. Rep. Exp. 0. Afr. p. 42. 



6. 1836. C'ynictis melanurus, Martin, P. Z. S. p. 36. 



7. 1838, Her^jestes badius, Smith, 111. Afr. Zool. ii. pi. iv. 



8. 1839. Ichneumia nigricaudatus, GeofFroy, Mag. Zool. p. 18. 



0. 1847. Her^jestes Oalinieri, Gu6rin & Ferret, Galiaier, Voy. Al)yss. 

 Atlas, Zool. pi. i. 



10. 1848. Herpestes ocliracetis, Gray, P. Z. S. p. 138. 



11. 1849. Herpestes punctulatus, Gray, P. Z. S. p. 11. 



12. 1850. Herpestes Lefebvrei, Desmurs & Pr6vost, Lefebvro, Yoy. 



Abyss. Atlas, Zool. pi. i. 



13. 1852. Herpestes ornatus, Peters, Reis. Moss. p. 117. 



14. 1855. Heiyestes ockromelas, Pucheran, Rev. Zool. vii. p. 393. 



15. 1861. Herpestes iodoprymnus, Heuglin, Nov. Act. Ac, Leop. xxix. 



p. 23. 



16. 1864. Herpestes Granti, Gray, P. Z. S. p. 561. 



17. 1804. CalogaJe venatica, Gray, P. Z. S. p. 564. 



18. 1877. Herpestes rvficauda, Heuglin, Reis. N.O.-Afr. p. 41. 



19. 1877. Herpestes mutscheltschela , Heuglin, Reis. N.O.-Afr. p. 43. 



20. 1894. Herpestes Neumanni, Matschie, SB. Ges. uaturf. Fr. Perl, 



p. 121. 



21. 1904. Herpestes ochraceus pcrfidvidus, Thomas, Ann. & Mag. Nat. 



Hist. p. 96. 



22. 1904. Herpestes ochraceus fulvidior, Thomas, Ann. & Mag. Nat. 



Hist. p. 97. 



23. 1905. Herpestes Bocagei, Thomas & Wroughton, Ann. & Mag. 



Nat. Hist, xvi.'p. 170. 



Practically all these forms were described as distinct 

 species, some even as belonging to separate genera. In 

 1882, in his paper on the African Herpestinre (P. Z. S. p. 59), 

 Mr. Thomas brought all these forms together as varieties of 

 one species, i. e. gracilis, Riipp. In 1898 Mr. de Winton, 

 with increased material to guide him, pointed out that 

 Mr. Thomas's variety " d " must rank as a distinct species on 

 account of ditlerences in skull-characters. At present the 



