1882.] AFRICAN MUNGOOSES. 67 
Skulls. 
Palate- Palate- Incisorsto Basicra- 
Length. Breadth. length. breadth. cross line. nial axis. 
me ape we ee Bae 2a RAP 1-35)" “1°50 1°55 
b. No locality .. 4°18 1°98 2°35 1°24 1°49 1°50 
ec. Kingwilliams- 
town, %... ty org) “aoe h28° “158 _ 
For teeth, see p. 78. 
These two closely allied species, HZ. ichneumon and H. caffer, seem 
to be very common over their respective ranges. ‘There can never be 
any difficulty in distinguishing either of them from all others, as 
their large size and long black tail-tips readily separate them from 
all their congeners. Their nearest ally seems to be H. jerdoni, Gr., 
from India; but that is considerably smaller, and has an entirely 
distinct range from either of them. 
With regard to their distinctness from each other, I was at first 
disposed to regard them as only races of one species, as Temminck 
had done; but I have found such constancy in their distinguishing 
characters that, combined with the fact of their ranges being in diffe- 
rent zoological regions, I have been induced to retain them as distinct 
species. There is no doubt, however, that they are very closely 
allied ; but when we remember how very distinct the faunas of the 
southern Palzarctic and of the Ethiopian regions are, scarcely any 
species being common, it would naturally seem preferable to consider 
as distinct two forms so fairly well marked as are /7. ichneumon and 
H. caffer, when the line of demarcation between them so exactly 
corresponds with what is generally recognized as the boundary 
between the two zoological regions. 
I cannot find any characters whatever by which to separate, even 
asa variety, the Spanish Ichneumon (H. widdringtoni) from the 
form found on the southern side of the Straits of Gibraltar. 
In the specific diagnosis of H. ichneumon given above, mention is 
made of the fact that occasionally the posterior part of the hind 
soles are hairy, instead of being bald as is usual. In connection 
with this, it is worthy of remark that a partly hairy sole seems to 
be accompanied by an increased length of the hallux, as though 
certain individuals or families were accustomed, probably on account 
of the nature of the soil, to walk in a more digitigrade manner than 
usual, and the hallux were in these cases elongated sufficiently to 
reach the ground. In H. galera I have also found the same thing, 
there being one of our West-African specimens of that species with 
a hairy sole and elongated hallux, whilst all others of the large series 
that I have examined have naked soles and short halluces. 
The following will show the extent of these differences, which, 
being quite unaccompanied by other special characters, are most 
certainly not specific :— 
In a hairy-soled H. ichneumon the posterior 0:9 in., and in the 
similar H. galera 1°45 in., is densely clothed with hair, while in all 
5 
