102 



such a change is advisable, or even excusable, perhaps it would be 

 better to follow the example of M. Desmarest in the ' Dictionnaire des 

 Sciences Naturelles,' and substitute the specific name oi fasciatus for 

 that of Mungos, as regards this animal, reserving the latter name for 

 the species to which it really belongs, and which is at present de- 

 signated by the very vague term of griseus. 



The other species brought by Mr. Rendall, and which I propose 

 to call Herpestes Gambianus, is new to science, but is in some degree 

 allied to the Herp. vitticollis, characterized by Mr. Bennett at a re- 

 cent meeting of the Society (page 66). It is, however, much smaller 

 than that species, measuring only 1 7 inches from the nose to the 

 root of the tail, whilst the Herp. vitticollis measures fully 23 ; the 

 tail also measures 13 inches in the latter animal, and only 9^ in the 

 former. The general colour of the body is that grizzled gray and 

 brown, so common among the Herpestes, upon the upper parts, clearer 

 upon the head, neck and shoulders, and copiously mixed with red 

 upon the latter part of the back, hips and thighs, particularly upon 

 the latter, which are nearly all red ; the tail has a copious mixture 

 of black, and is terminated by a small tuft of pure black ; but this is 

 only found at the extreme point, and does not extend over a consider- 

 able portion of the organ, as in Herp. vitticollis. The throat and sides 

 of the neck are pale silvery brown; the breast, belly, and interior of the 

 limbs, red; the feet alone, not the whole legs as in Herp. vitticollis, 

 are black, and a stripe of dark brown extends from the ear to the 

 shoulder, along each side of the neck. The hair lies smooth and 

 close to the skin. 



There are some peculiarities in the dentary system of these animals 

 which Eire deserving of notice. 



Herp . fasciatus and Herp. Gamhiajms. Teeth -^ ■ -j—r ■■ jitt- The 



incisors small, simple, and regular ; the canines of moderate size ; 

 the first two false molars of the normal form; the third, carnas- 

 sier, of rather small size compared with its analogue in genera 

 more decidedly carnivorous, and the last two, in both jaws, tubercu- 

 lous. The rudimentary false molar, mentioned by M. F. Cuvier, is 

 wanting in both these species ; nor can its absence be owing to the 

 age of the specimens examined, as some were evidently young ani- 

 mals, though arrived at adult age. Its entire absence is further con- 

 firmed by the situation of the teeth respectively, in the reciprocal 

 position of the jaws, the first inferior false molar filling up the entire 

 vacant space between the corresponding superior tooth and the canine 

 of tlie same jaw. 



This system differs considerably from that ascribed to the Herpestes 

 byM. F. Cuvier (Dents des MammifSres, i. 99.), but agrees in all re- 

 spects with the description of M. Desmarest. The following, however, 

 is equally foreign to the accounts of both these authors, and, were 

 not all the other characters so perfectly accordant with those of Her- 

 pestes, would d«cidedly indicate a new genus. Indeed, it so stands 



