African Mungooses, 111 



material is at least five times that wliich Mr. de Winton 

 examined. It divides easily into two groups — a smaller, with 

 a hind foot (circ.) 50 mm. and a skull-length (circ.) 57 mm., 

 and a larger, with a hind foot (circ.) 60 mm. and a skull- 

 length (circ.) 62 ram. The group of smaller animals subdivides 

 into (1) Mr. Thomas's variety " fZ,'' \\\?ii \& Mungos ochra- 

 ceus, Gray, with its races ; and (2) into a group of which the 

 oldest representative is Cymctis melanurus. Mart. Similarly 

 the larger forms are separable into two groups, viz. a northern, 

 in which the crown and nape are coloured like the back, and 

 a southern, characterized by a tawny suffusion on the head 

 and neck. This colour-pattern is so striking and constant 

 that (combined with the fact that a band across Africa from 

 east to west, in which only a small form is found, separates 

 the habitats of the northern and soutliern groups) I deem 

 myself justified in ranking this form as a distinct species (or, 

 more correctly, group of species) . 



Key. 



I. Size smaller ; hind foot (circ.) 50 mm. 



A. Brain-case swollen anteriorly, postorbital 



constriction sudden. 



a. Hairs of body annulated. (Abyssinia.) (1) ochraceuSjGxay. 



b. Hairs not annulated in dorsal region, 



which, with tail, is darker than back. 



(Somali.) (2) o. fulvidior, Thos. 



c. Hairs of body not annulated. (Somali.) (3) o. perfulvidus^Thoii. 



B. Brain-case narrowing gradually forward 



to postorbital constriction. 



a. Skull larger ; coudylo-basal length 60- 



62 mm. ; zygomatic breadth 33-34. 

 «'. General colour " bm'nt umber " ; 



face and crown like body ; length 



c-m^ 23 mm. (Gold Coast.) .... (4) inelannrns, Mart. 

 h^. General colour " burnt umber " ; 



crown black; length c-rn^ 21'7mm. 



(Zanzibar Inland.) (o) ;«. Lasti, subsp. n, 



b. Skull smaller ; condylo-basal length 58- 



60 mm. ; zygomatic breadth 29. 

 «\ General colour yellow ; length c-m' [Wr. 



20 mm. (Angola.) (6) in. Bocayei, Thos. & 



b^ . General colour drab ; length e-vi^ 



21 mm. (Cape Verd.) (7) vi. camts, subsp. n. 



c^. General colour red-umber : length 



c-m} 20'7 mm. (Zomba.) (b) m. zomh(C, subsp. n. 



II. Size larger ; hind foot (circ.) 60 mm. 

 A, No tawny sullusion on head and neck. 



a. Tail-tip chestnut. (Kordofan.) (9) scaiyuinem, Riipp. 



b. Tail-tip black. 



«^ General colour pinkisli drab ; hiud 



foot 58 mm. (Abyssinia.) (10) .s. gracilis, Kiipp. 



