182 PROF. ST.-GEORGE MIVART ON THE ^LUROIDEA. [Feb. 7, 



If perfect, it is very short. The opening of the external auditory 

 meatus is small and triangular, and, as it were, somewhat cut away 

 below ; and there is a deep groove and a defect of ossification on the 

 floor of the anterior chamber of the auditory bulla. The frontal 

 postorbital processes are well developed ; and the skull is much 

 pinched in behind them. There are small pointed malar processes; 

 but these do not nearly join the former. The condyloid foramen is 

 concealed. The cranial ridges are moderate. The paroccipital 

 process does not depend. The mastoid is much as in Herpestes, as 

 also is the carotid canal ; and there is a conspicuous carotid foramen 

 in the basis cranii : and the artery enters the skull beside the posterior 

 boundary of the sella turcica. The palate is greatly prolonged behind 

 the last molars. In Cyascia^ws the cranial characters are similar, 

 except that the short alisphenoid canal is better marked, the palate 

 is rather less prolonged, and the postorbital processes more nearly 

 join, and there may be but a very minute foramen instead of a slit 

 beneath the auditory meatus. 



The dentition of G. obscurus is represented by De Blainville 

 (Osteog., Fiverra, pi. 12). lis -^*' is quite two thirds the size of 

 — , but is triangular, not quadrate. — ^ is less trihedral than in 

 Herpestes, and has two equally developed external cusps, external 

 and parallel to which is a raised straight cingulum. There is a large 

 internal cusp ; and the hinder border of the tooth is concave. -^- 

 has a rather diminished posterior tubercle (compared with Her- 

 pestes) ; so that the large inner cusp is placed rather more towards 

 the middle of the tooth, the length of which is rather less in 

 proportion to its breadth. The inner cusp also descends as much 

 as do the outer ones ; and the outer middle cusp scarcely descends 

 below the anterior outer cusp. -^- and -^— are as in Herpestes. 

 '^— is wanting. -^^-.^ is large, with five cusps. lu g-j the anterior 

 cusp has become more decidedly internal, so that we have an 

 external cusp opposite the internal one. There is a moderate 

 talon, py has one very large cusp, iu front of which may be a 



well-developed or a minute accessory cusp, while behind it there is a 

 well-developed cusp, which has a more or less marked talon or 

 minute accessory cusp at its base. ^J ^^^ Yl ^^^ ^^ ^" Herpestes. 

 p^ is absent. In C. fasciatus, —^ is rather smaller in proportion to 

 ^- 1 and p^ and ^.^ are larger. In a specimen in the British 

 Museum, labelled Mungos gambianus (No. 55. 12. 24. 22 b), ^— 

 and ■ are very narrow aniero-posteriorl}'. In another skull, labelled 

 M. zebra (No. 75. 2. 24. 18), there is a minute — ^ on each side, 

 which measures 0"'I antero-posteriorly and 0"*25 transversely. 



The dimensions of the skins seen by me are as follows : — of 

 C. obscurus, head and body about '^7" , of tail 17"; ot C. fasciatus, 

 head and body about 45"'5, of tail about 23". 



