1882.] AFRICAN MUNGOOSES. /' / 



The present rather peculiar species has always, in its white-tailed 

 form, been recognized as the type of a distinct genus or subgenus, 

 for which Geoffrey proposed the name of Ichneumia. No one, how- 

 ever, ever seems to have noticed that the black-tailed H. loempo, 

 Tenim., is not even specifically distinct from the typical form, and 

 therefore, of course, possesses all its more important structural cha- 

 racters. H. albicauda and 11. loempo cannot even be separated as 

 varieties ; for the only difference between them, namely the colour 

 of the tail, seems to be purely an individual variation. It is true 

 that for the most part specimens from AVest Africa, representing //. 

 loewpoMyQ black tails, and those from East Africa white tads_; but 

 I have seen too many exceptions to this rule to feel justified in re- 

 garding the two forms as varietally distinct. Thus there is lu the 

 Berlin Museum a specimen from Accra, on the Gold Coast, which has 

 a regular white tail, just as in the typical H. albicauda ; and, on the 

 other hand, black-tailed specimens from East Africa are by no means 

 rare. Moreover, in the British Museum v\-e have two specimens 

 from the Bogos countrv, Abyssinia, received together, and the skulls 

 of which are quite identical," one of which has a black loempo-hke 

 tail, and the other has a tail witli quite as much white on it as in 

 average albicauda. We thus see that the presence or absence ot a 

 white tip to the tail-hairs is a character upon which no specific 

 distinction can be founded ; and, in fact, it would rather seem that 

 the white tail is the result of a desert life, specimens trom sandy 

 districts having, as a rule, white, and those from forest regions, black 

 tails. 



Ichneiimia albescens, I. Geoff., appears to be simply a pale torm ot 

 this species, in which the longer hairs are fewer in number, so that the 

 grey underfur shows more on the surface, and thus gives a generally 

 paler colour than usual. 



I. nigricauda, Puch., seems to be quite identical with this species, 

 representing the usual West- African black-tailed form. 



With regard to Bdeojjale nif/ripes, Puch., from the Gaboon, I 

 have already mentioned my suspicion that it has accidentally lost the 

 first toes oil all four feet; and it seems very possible that it is really 

 only a white-tailed specimen of this species, and not a Bdeogale at all. 

 The original description woidd exactly fit the Accra white-tailed spe- 

 cimen already referred to ; and that is certainly a true Herjoestes, as 

 the fifth toes are present on all the feet'. 



Of all the Mungooses, H. albicauda seems to be the most nearly 

 allied to the true Bdeogale, strongly resembling the species of that 

 genus in general colour, quality of i'ur, length and bushiuess of tail, 

 hairiness of tarsus, proportionally large size of the last molar, and 

 most of all in the presence of the median middle external cusp to the 

 last lower molar, a character in which ^(/eo</a/e differs from all other 



■ Since writing the above I iiave received a letter from Prof. Bavboza dii 

 Bocage. in which he informs me that the specimen from Angola, retcrred by him 

 (P. Z. S. 1865, p. 402) to Bd.nigripcs, proves on a closer examination to possess 

 minute 1st claws to the fore feet, thus strongly confirming my previous opinion 

 about that animal. 



