1882.] AFRICAN MUNGOOSES. 65 
Skull comparatively short and-broad, the breadth nearly always more 
than half the length (49-56 per cent.). Teeth slender and sharp, 
the last molar less than half the length of the 4th premolar (42-48 
per cent.). 
Dimensions. 
Head 
and body'. ‘Tail. Hind foot?. 
a. Spain (type of H. widdringtoni).. 20-0 17-0 3°7 
‘soul 2) 7/2 ae See eam as Slept sce 1 16°0 3°8 
e. Palestine (Tristram)............ 21:0 15°0 34 
d. Andalusia (Lord Lilford) ...... 21:0 16:0 3°4 
e. Morocco (Parzudaki) .......... 20°5 15°0 34 
Skulls. 
Inc. to Basi- 
Palate- Palate- cross cranial 
Length’. Breadth‘. length.’ breadth®. line’. axis®, 
a. Spain(Zool.Soc.) 4°05 2°25 92°28 =—«130—Ss:184 
b. Egypt ........ 3°85 204 220 1:24 140 1-41 
Ge wARCR: ..: xsi 37 2°0 Boe: oleh Zh (sO iat 
For dimensions of teeth, see p. 78. 
" From the tip of the nose to the root of the tail, along the curves. Unless 
otherwise stated, the measurements are taken from stuffed specimens. 
* Without the claws. 
® From the front of the premaxille to the most posteriorpoint of either of 
the occipital condyles. 
* Greatest breadth across zygomata. 
° From the front of the premaxille to the end of the bony palate. 
® Between the points at which P.M* and M! touch each other at their outer 
edges. 
* From the front of the pramaxille to a point on the palate midway between 
those mentioned under 6. cp 
° From the central point of the posterior edge of the basioccipital to the 
anterior edge of the lower surface of the presphenoid. 
It will be seen that, of these skull-measurements, Nos. 3, 4, and 5 are the same 
as those adopted by Prof. Huxley in his recent paper on the Canidx (P.Z.8. 
1880, p. 243). I do not, however, think that the measurement of “total length ” 
used by him is at all satisfactory, as the occipital spine, to the tip of which he 
measures, varies greatly with the age of the individual, and also between different 
species—some forms developing a bony crest comparatively early, and others, 
even when quite old, haying scarcely any at all. ‘hese objections do not apply 
to measuring from the posterior point of the condyles, which is a place where 
no extra bony matter is added as the animal gets older. It is true that it would 
seem to be somewhat unnatural to measure from a central azygous point to a 
lateral symmetrical one; but practically the resulting dimension is so nearly 
exactly the same as measuring either to the upper part of the supraoccipital, 
not including the spine, or to the centre of the same bone just aboye the foramen 
magnum, that this objection is overbalanced by the convenience of measuring 
to the most posterior non-varying point of the skull, and a point which can 
always be used with such extreme exactitude. 
The measurement given under 7 is a very useful one, a8 giving the true length 
Proc. Zoou. Soc.—1882, No. V. 5 
