1882.] PROF. ST. -GEORGE MIVART ON THE ^LUROIDEA. 185 



p-j^ has become much raised anteriorly ; its talon is large, while the 

 anterior cusp of the same tooth in Grossarchus here aborts, p-j and 

 p-^ are very long and strong, p-y is absent. 



The anus opens into the middle of a very deep fossa, deeper than 

 that of Bdeogale, and like that of Crossarchus. There is also a 

 curious scrotum-like prominence between the vagina and the anus. 

 I have not met with any description of the anal glands other than 

 that of Daubenton, who says^: — "II se trouvoit de chaque cote 

 de I'anus une poche qui avoit quatre lignes et demi de longueur, et 

 trois lignes et demie de largeur, et trois lignes d'epaisseur; le tuyau 

 excretoire de chacune de ces poches aboutissoit au dedans de 

 I'anus." I strongly suspect, from the form of the anal pouch, that 

 there are here, as in Crossarchus, several pairs of anal glands. The 

 claws of the manus of Suricata are enormously elongated (c/". fig. 14, h, 

 p. 192). Those of the pes are much less so, but still are long. 



Except as above indicated, the characters of this genus agree with 

 those of Herpestes ; and with it closes the list of the genera of the 

 subfamily HerpestincB. 



That subfamily is divisible in various ways, according to the number 

 of digits, the number of teeth, the presence or absence of a subnasal 

 groove, and the number of anal glands, as follows : — 



Section A. Anal glands a single pair .... Herpestes, Helogale, 



Cynictis ?, Rhino- 

 yalel 

 „ B. Anal glands in several pairs . . Crossarchus, Suricata, 



Bdeogale 1 



Or, Section A. Toes 5 — 5 Herpestes, Helogale, 



JRhinogale, Cros- 

 sarchus. 



„ B. Toes 5 — 4 Cynictis. 



„ C. Toes 4 — 4 Bdeogale, Suricata. 



Or, Section A. A subnasal groove Herpestes, Helogale, 



Cynictis, Bdeogale. 

 „ B. No subnasal groove Rhinogale, Crossar- 

 chus, Suricata. 



Or, Section A. Pm. | Herpestes (generally), 



Cynictis, Bdeogale. 

 „ B. Pm. g, ^, no diastema .... Helogale, Crossarchus, 



Suricata. 

 „ C. Pm. ^ ^ Ehinogale. 



The characters of the subfamily Herpestince will be as follows : — 



(1) Claws not strongly curved and not retractile, but pointed and 



very long. 



(2) Orbits sometimes enclosed by bone. 



1 Buffon's Hist. Nat. vol. xiii. p. 80. 



2 Probably an abnormalit . 



