1882.] PROF. ST.-GEORGE MIVART ON THE vELUROIDEA. 179 



The genus Bdeogale was first proposed by Dr. Peters in November 

 1850', ami a full description (with figure of external forin, skull, 

 teeth, and feet-pads) given by him in 18(32 in his ' Reise nach 

 Mossambique,' Zoology (Mamm.), p. 1 19, pis. 26 & 27. The genus 

 comes from Zanzibar and Eastern Africa. Peters describes the 

 existence of two kinds of fur (as \n Herpestes), viz. a thick soft wool, 

 with longer less numerous hairs projecting from amongst it. The 

 snout is rather long and pointed, but has the usual meilian groove. 

 The pupils are horizontally elliptical ; the ears are short and rounded. 

 There is no external trace of either pollex or hallux ; the third and 

 fourth digits are of nearly equal length. The tarsus is quite hairy ; and 

 so is part of the metatarsus ; the tail is bushy. 



The skull is said to be quite Hke that of Herpestes, but appears 



broader, the premolars and molars to be Pm. -^, M, ~, and to 

 resemble in shape those of CrossarcAwsf described mym, p. 18 1 ). Prof. 

 Peters say s : — "Bdeogale presents the fallowing peculiariti^'s : — ( I ) The 

 outer side of the upper sectorial is scarcely longer than its anterior 

 side, whilst in Herpestes and Crossarchus it is considerably longer ; 

 (2) there is on the postero- internal side of the upper sectorial a low 

 tubercle placed between the greater inner tubercle and the long middle 

 external cusp ; (3) the anterior part of the lower sectorial has a fourth 

 small external cusp (instead of being tricuspidate, as in Herpestes, 

 Crossarchus, and Suricafa), so that a horizontal section of this division 

 is not triangular but irregularly quadrangular. There are 14 

 thoracic, 6 lumbar, 3 sacral, and 25 (or 24) caudal vertebrae. The 

 clavicle is absent. The sternum consists of 8 sternebrse, to which 

 9 pairs of the ribs are attached. There is both an olecranal and a 

 snpracondyloid perforation to the humerus. A minute rudiment of 

 a first metacarpal is attached to the trapezium ; but there is no rudi- 

 ment whatever of the first metatarsal. The tongue, like that of 

 Herpestes, bears a patch of large backwardly directed spine-like 

 papillae on the anterior half of its dorsum. The stomach is elon- 

 gated and bent in the form of a horseshoe. The small intestine is 

 135" long and 0"-8 thick ; the large intestine is 24" long and 0"-15 

 thick. The anus opens into the middle of a sac or pouch, as in 

 Crossarchus'. The aorta gives off a comm.on trunk for the carotids 

 and right subclavian, and then the left subclavian separately." 



In the stomach of one specimen Prof. Peters found a large Fipera 

 rhinoceros (Schlegel). 



milliin. 

 Length of vertebral column from atlas to end of sacrum. , 2900 



Length of caudal vertebrae 260'0 



Length of the skull 78-0 



Breadth of zygomata 42'5 



Length of humerus 600 



' Mittheilung in der Gesellsch. naturforsch. Freunde zu Berlin, Nov. 19, 1850. 

 '■^ Dr. Petei's says, "Der Analsack ist ganz so wie bei den Maugusten gebildet;" 

 and so I find it. 



12* 



