2 PROFESSOR ALLMAN ON THE CHARACTERS 
over by Mr. Du Chaillu from tropical Africa, and which forms at present part of the 
collection in the British Museum. ‘This skin, however, is in a wretched condition; the 
skull and teeth are altogether absent, and the specimen is otherwise mutilated ; so that 
it had been quite impossible to obtain from it characters which might enable its zoolo- 
gical affinities to be satisfactorily determined. 
Mr. Du Chaillu, however, had already described the animal from his mutilated skin, 
aided by his recollection of it when alive; and I am indebted to Mr. Sclater for having 
directed my attention to an article* in the ‘ Proceedings of the Boston Society of 
Natural History,’ in which the African traveller describes, among other animals from 
equatorial Africa, that to which the skin in question belonged, referring it to the 
carnivorous genus Cynogale, under the name of Cynogale velox, Du Chaillu. Mr. Du 
Chaillu, however, is not without doubt as to the correctness of assigning his new animal 
to the genus Cynogale; and having in view the possibility of its being afterwards deemed 
desirable to construct for it a separate genus, he suggests the name of Potamogale as a 
provisional generic appellation. 
The skin having been subsequently secured for the British Museum, it was examined 
by Dr. J. E. Gray, who disputed the justice of Du Chaillu’s determination of its 
affinities, and maintained not only that it had no relation with Cynogale, but that it 
probably did not even belong to the order Carnivora, while he suspected that its real 
relations would be found with the Rodentia. Under this impression, he proposed for it 
a new generic name; and the Cynogale velox of Du Chaillu became the Mythomys velox 
of Gray f. 
Dr. Gray’s characterization of his new genus is much more correct than that given by 
Mr. Du Chaillu; but, as just said, not a remnant of the dentition had been left in the 
skin, which was in other respects so very imperfect that it can afford no matter of surprise 
to find so experienced and excellent a zoologist as Dr. Gray failing to discover its true 
affinities; and it is only the chance which has thrown a comparatively well-preserved 
specimen into my hands that has enabled me to determine the real position and rela- 
tions of this remarkable mammal. 
It is not always that provisional names ought to be accepted; they are not unfre- 
quently a mere subterfuge, in which the ignorance or incapacity of the describer of 
some new species seeks to take refuge without his thereby abrogating his claim to be 
regarded as the original namer, though sounder views of the obvious facts may prove 
the incorrectness of his determination. But when, as in the present case, the actual 
absence of data renders it impossible to determine important characters, the describer is 
quite justified in making the best of the material at his disposal, and, by the suggestion 
of a provisional name, reserving to himself the right of giving this name to his 
discovery, if further facts rendering it expedient should be brought to light. 
* Du Chaillu, “On Animals from Equatorial Africa believed to be new,’ Proc. Bost. Soe. Nat. Hist., 
yol. vil. p. 353. + Proe. Zool. Soe., 1861, p. 275. 
