86 MR. o. THOMAS ON THE [Jan. 3, 



Dr Kirk has done so much to make the zoology of Zanzibar known 

 to us, it seems on the whole more probable that this species does 

 not occur there, but that the Zambesi is its proper habitat, 

 especially as Dr. Meller was there considerably longer than he was 

 at Zanzibar, 



However, it is not very likely that it can be much longer betore 

 such a large and well-marked animal is again discovered ; and then 

 the question of locality will be satisfactorily settled. 



Molars q/" Rhinogale. 



Upper Per- Lower Per- 



P.M^ W. centage M^ Ms. centage. 



E. melleri . . . a. 7'^ 5-^ 73 6-4 6-4 100 



VI. Crossarchus. rpype 



Crossarchus, F. Cuv, Hist. Nat. Mamm. ii. livr. 

 47 (1825) ^- ohscurus. 



Ariela, Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 565 (1864) .... C.fasciatus. 



Munc/os, Gray, P.Z.S. 1864, p. .575 (1864) 

 (nee Ogilby ') • ■ d. gamlianus. 



Eange. Africa south of the Sahara. 



Toes 5—5. Teeth, 1. 1, C. j, P.M. |, M. | x 2=36. No naked 

 central hue on nose. Hind soles naked. Skull depressed, as in 

 Herpestes. Teeth rounded, without sh.<Hrp cutting-edges. Vacuity 

 in floor of auditory meatus oblong, in filling up often forming a row 

 of small holes, as in Suricata. Last lower molar with an extra cusp 

 in the centre of the outer edge, as in Bdeogale and the subgenus 

 Ichneumia ^. 



This genus includes four species, scattered over the continent of 

 Africa. It is a matter of considerable interest to find that the three 

 species placed by Gray under " Mungos," in a separate subfamily 

 from Crossarclms, are not really generically distinct from the single 

 species hitherto supposed to be the only member of this genus^ I 

 can find no differences of importance whatever between these 

 various forms ; in fact C. obscurus resembles, at least in dentition, 

 C. zebra and C.gambiamts more than either of these do C.fasciatus. 

 It is true that in our only skeleton of C. obscurus there is a certain 

 amount of difference in the length of the hallux as compared with 

 that of the other species ; but an examination of a considerable 

 number of skins does not show any constancy in this character, 



' Ogilby's genus was fouuded solely ou the Cinghalese species H. vitticollis, 

 Benn. ; H. gambianus and fasciatus happening to be mentioned in the same 

 paper, Gray took it as founded on them, and made another genus, " Tceniogale." 

 to contain the Ceylon form. 



^ See p. 76. 



* Since the above was written. Prof Mivart has pointed out to me that the 

 researches of Chatin into the structure of the anal glands of the CariiiTora (Ann. 

 Sci. Nat. 5th series, xix. p. 89, n,, 1874) fully confirm the opinion here expressed 

 as to the generic relationship of the striped Mungoose {C.fasciatus) with C. 

 obscurus. 



