1865.] MR. P.L.SCLATER ON A NEW INDIAN PORCUPINE. 353 
K.C.B., Governor of Madras, inquiring of me whether anything was 
known in Europe of a second Indian Porcupine, distinguished from 
the common species by having some of its quills of a deep orange- 
colour. Upon my replying that this Porcupine appeared to be un-- 
represented in our collections of animals either living or dead in this 
country, and would moreover probably prove new to science, Sir 
William promised to do his best to obtain living specimens of it for 
the Society’s Menagerie. The first examples of this animal obtained 
by Sir William for transmission to this country died, I believe, before 
they were shipped. But in the latter part of last year Sir William 
was successful in obtaining four other living specimens, which reached 
this country in safety on the 22nd of December last. Three of these 
Porcupines are still living in the Society’s Menagerie. The fourth 
died a few days after its arrival, and was found one morning already 
partially devoured by its carnivorous companions. Enough, however, 
remained of it to make a tolerably good skin, which, together with 
the skull, I now exhibit. Upon these materials I propose to attempt 
to give characters to this hitherto undescribed species. 
Before doing so, however, I should mention that this species, 
although it has never yet been described, and, as far as I can ascer- 
tain, has never reached Europe before, alive or dead, has been already 
provided with a name, which I do not propose to alter. Mr. Francis 
Day, Fellow of this Society, late of H. M. Madras Medical Service, 
in his work on the native Indian state of Cochin, called ‘The Land 
of the Permauls,’ published at Madras in 1863, has spoken of this 
animal as ‘‘ The Orange Porcupine, Hystrix malabaricus,” and given 
some details respecting it*. Mr. Day has also kindly supplied me 
with some further notes respecting it, which I shall give presently. 
I commence, however, by characterizing the species, which belongs 
to the typical Hystrices, and is very closely allied to H. leucura, as 
HystRix MALABARICA, sp.nov. (Pl. XVI.) 
H. criste setis purpurascenti-nigris, unicoloribus ; rostro pilis 
minutis obsito: colore corporis antici purpurascenti-rubro, 
spinis ad basin aurantiacis, inde ad apicem purpurascenti- 
nigris : spinis dorsi elongatis, aliis aurantiaco-rubro et nigro, 
aliis, sicut in specie vulgari, albo et nigro annulatis: dorsi 
postici linea mediali distincta, e spinis aliis albis, aliis auran- 
tiucis composita: cauda longa, spinis aliis albis, aliis auran- 
tiaco-rubris. 
Long. tota a rostro ad basin caudze 28°0 poll., caudze 8-0. 
Hab. India Meridionalis, prov. Cochin. 
Obs. Affinis H. leucure, sed spinarum colore, rostro minus 
setoso, et cauda longiore distinguenda. 
Although the general external appearance of this Porcupine is re- 
markably different from that of H. leucura, so that the living animal 
strikes one at the first glance as being undoubtedly distinct, I have 
been somewhat disappointed, on comparing the two skins together, to 
* Land of the Permauls, pp. 446, 447. 
