1882,] AFRICAN MUNGOOSES. 67 



Skulls. 



a. Cape .... 



b. No locality 



c. Kingwilliams- 



town 4-15 1-91 2-36 1-28 1-50 — 



For teeth, see p. 78. 



These two closely allied species, H. ichneumon and H. caffer, seem 

 to be very common over their respective ranges. There can never be 

 any difficulty in distinguishing either of them from all others, as 

 their large size and long black tail-tips readily separate them from 

 all their congeners. Their nearest ally seems to be H. jerdoni, Gr., 

 from India ; but that is considerably smaller, and has an entirely 

 distinct range from either of them. 



With regard to their distinctness from each other, I was at first 

 disposed to regard them as only races of one species, as Temminck 

 had done ; but I have found such constancy in their distinguishing 

 characters that, combined with the fact of their ranges being in diffe- 

 rent zoological regions, I have been induced to retain them as distinct 

 species. There is no doubt, however, that they are verv closely 

 allied ; but when we remember how very distinct the faunas of the 

 southern Palsearctic and of the Ethiopian regions are, scarcely any 

 species being common, it would naturally seem preferable to consider 

 as distinct two forms so fairly well marked as are //. ichneumon and 

 H. caffer, when the line of demarcation between them so exactly 

 corresponds with what is generally recognized as the boundary 

 between the two zoological regions. 



I cannot find any characters whatever by which to separate, even 

 a.s a variety, the Spanish Ichneumon (£r. widdrinf/toni) from the 

 form found on the southern side of the Straits of Gibraltar. 



In the s])ecific diagnosis of H. ichneumon given above, mention is 

 made of the fact that occasionally the posterior part of the hind 

 soles are haiiy, instead of being bald as is usual. In connection 

 with this, it is worthy of remark that a partly hairy sole seems to 

 be accompanied by an increased length of the hallux, as though 

 certain individuals or families were accustomed, probably on account 

 of the nature of the soil, to walk in a more digitigrade manner than 

 usual, and the hallux were in these cases elongated sufficiently tq 

 reach the ground. In H. (jalera I have also found the same thing, 

 there being one of our West-African specimens of that species with 

 a hairy sole and elongated hallux, whilst all others of the large series 

 that I have examined have naked soles and short halluces. 



The following will show the extent of these differences, whichj 

 being quite unaccompanied by other special characters, are most 

 certainly not specific : — 



In a hairy-soled H. ichneumon the posterior 0'9 in., and in the 

 similar H. c/alera 1 •45 in., is densely clothed with hair, while in all 



5* 



