1864. ] LETTERS FROM MR. R. SWINHOE. 379 
mosan list; but this must wait till my return to that wild and soli- 
tary isle. 
* Viverra ashtoni, n. sp. Shot at Suykaou, up the River Min, 
Foochow, by Mr. T. K. Ashton, and kindly lent by that gentleman 
to me for description. The skin is preserved flat, and the claws 
have been, unfortunately, cut away. It is the largest of the genus 
I have seen, and is quite a beautiful animal. Total length 4 feet ; 
tail 16 inches, heavy, bushy, and handsome, slightly tapering. Its 
ground-colour may be described as a light ochreous white, finely 
mottled with black; blacker on the occiput, hind neck, fore shoul- 
ders, fore thighs, and along the back. The mottling effect is pro- 
duced by some of the hairs having black tips, some being entirely 
black in the deeper parts. The downy fur or pile at the roots of 
the hair is brownish ash-grey. The paws are blackish brown, spotted 
with a deeper hue, the spots being carried up towards the thighs. 
Muzzle with a white patch on each side; bars moderate, with a black 
spot on their outward bases. A united bar occurs behind the ears, 
and runs in a line down the side of the neck, curving downwards before 
reaching the shoulder, and nearly meeting on the under neck; an- 
other crosses the lower throat, and another disconnected one twists 
about on either side of the neck below the first line. The neck is 
more decidedly white, edged with ochreous. From the nuchal bar 
