1882.] AFRICAN MUNGOOSES. 85 



may, for the present, leave it here, where it was originally placed by 

 Dr. Gray. 



1. Rhinogale melleri. (Plate III.) 

 *Rhinogale melleri. Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 375 (1864). 



Hah. " East Africa." 



Size and form much as in Herpestes ichneumon. Tail about as 

 long as the body without the head. Hind soles hairy to the roots 

 of the toes. General colour uniform pale brown, the longer hairs 

 each with only one or two rings of brown and white, the rings 

 passing so gradually into each other as to give but little geueiul 

 appearance of grizzling. Head paler, the white of the hairs showing 

 more conspicuously. Underfur dark grey at its base, pale brown 

 at its tip. Belly like back, but rather paler. Feet similar, but 

 darker. Tail with long hairs, somewhat as in black-tailed examples 

 of ^. alhicauda: for its basal third the hairs are uniformly brown ; for 

 the middle third they are white for their basal halves and black for 

 their terminal ; and on the terminal third they are all black ; the 

 tail therefore gets very gradually darker towards the end. No doubt 

 other specimens would show considerable variation in the detailed 

 coloration of the tail. 



Skull as described above in the generic diagnosis. 



Teeth rounded, the posterior molars worn flat in the only specimen. 

 Dental percentage 73. In the lower jaw the posterior molar is 

 remarkably large, being precisely as long as the preceding tooth ; 

 while the species which most approaches it in this character, Bdeogale 

 puisa, has the last only 85 per cent, of the first molar, and the 

 others of this group range downwards from 85 to 45 per cent., the 

 proportions of these two teeth following with great regularity those 

 of the upper teeth, of which the percentages are given in detail, 



Dime7isions. 



Head and 

 body. Tail. Hind foot. 



a. Type, E. Africa 22-0 15-5 3-8 



Skull. Ba3l. 



Palate- Palate- Inc. to cranial 

 Lengtb. Breadth. length. breadth, cross lino. axis. 



a. Type .. 3-38 1-85 178 I'OS 1-22 1-14 



The type specimen of this species, though obtained by Dr. Meller 

 and described nearly 20 years ago, has, as far as I know, remained 

 unique up to the present'time. Happily both the skull and skin are 

 quite perfect, so that I have been able to make out all the more 

 important characters of the species. 



With regard to the locality at which this specimen was obtained, 

 it appears that the only places in East Africa at which Dr. Meller 

 collected were (1) on the Zambesi and (2) Zanzibar; so that B. 

 melleri must have come from one or the other. As of late years 



