HERPESTES. I2l 



but 1 am induced to carry the reduction of the number of species 

 a little further than he does. 



The Mungooses are terrestrial animals, seeking their prey on the 

 ground, and very rarely climbing trees. They are active, bold, and 

 predaceous,.and live on small animals, mammals, birds, and reptiles, 

 insects and eggs, occasionally eating fruit. They are deadly 

 enemies to snakes, as described under H. mtou/o. They live in 

 holes in the ground, hollow trees, and similar places. When angry 

 or excited, they erect their long hairs, and especially those of the 

 tail. 



Si/iW2:>sis of India)}, Cei/hncse, and Burmese S2)ecies. 



A. No neck-stripe nor black tail-tip. 



«. Fur close and short, longer hairs of back 

 ■with 4 or 5 rings of colour : size small. 

 a'. Tarsus and hiud foot without claws, 



under 2 inches long H. auropimctatus,\i. 121. 



b'. Tarsus and hind foot without claws, 



more than 2 inches H. hlrmanicus, p. 122. 



h. Fur longer, long hairs of hack with more 

 than 5 rings ; size larger. 

 a'. Naked sole extending to heel. Colour 



grey or rufous II. viunt/u, p. 12.}. 



b'. Naked sole not extending to heel. 

 (/". .Size large; tarsus and hind foot about 

 3 inches. Colour dark broWu griz- 

 zled Ji. fi<scH!<, p. 127. 



h". Size smaller ; tarsus and hind foot 

 luider 2'7 inches. Colour dark hrown 

 or rufuus H. fidvescens, p. 127. 



B. A black tail-tip, no neck-stripe . H. sviithi, p. 126. 



C. A black tail-tip and black neck-stripe .... H. vitticollis, p. 128. 



D. No black tail-tip, a white neck-stripe H. urva, p. 129. 



58. Herpestes auropunctatus. The small Indian JShoujoose. 



Mangusta auropunctata, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. v, p. 235 (183G). 

 Herpestes nipalensis, Gray, Charlesworth's May. N. H. \, p. r>78 



(1837) ; JerdvH, Mam. p. 13(5. 

 Herpestes pallipes, Bhjth, J. A. 8. B. xiv, p. 346 (184o) ; xv, p. 109. 

 Herpestes persicus. Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 554 ; W. Blanf. P. Z. 8. 



1874, p. 662 ; Anderson, An. Zool. Bef. p. 174. 

 Herpestes auropunctatus, Anderson, ibid. p. 172. 



Mush-i-Khourma, Persian ; NiU, Kashmir. 



Size small. Fur short, even, close, moderately harsh, that of 

 the tail considerably longer than that of the body. Tail, without 

 hairs at end, about three quarters the length of the head and body. 

 Naked sole not extending to the heel. 



In the skull the pterygoid bones are not parallel, but diverge 

 slightly behind. 



- Colour. Varying from light grey to dusky brown, minutely 

 speckled \\\\\\ white or yellow. Lower parts paler and more uni- 



