70 MR. 0. THOMAS ON THE [Jan. 3, 
Skulls. 
Ine. to Basi- 
ahs Palate- Palate- cross cranial 
Var. gracilis. Length. Breadth. length. breadth. line. axis. 
a. Abyssinia(Blanford) 2°54 1:34 1:32 0°81 0°89 1:0 
6. Natal (type of A. o, : : ‘ : a 
punetulatus) .... \ 2°55 130 a Hee pee 
Var. melanurus. 
e. Sierra Leone (Lord) og. a . ; ; = 
eek pee be5 132 140 080 0°90 
Var. badius. 
de igends Mall (ype |g. 450 yea tb: OBR Oia ie 
of H. granti) .... 
ens Adrica, Sitaa ele 2D 1:27. . 1:29. 0°80 .. 0°85 0:96 
Var. ochraceus. 
J. Abyssinia (Hora), \ a) #9 © 20" 1-10 ? 0°78 Mes 
ama! . Faves 
This variable species appears to be the common small Mungoose 
of the whole of Africa. The distribution of its three principal 
varieties is somewhat interesting as so closely corresponding to the 
zoological subregions of Africa, as defined by Mr. Wallace in his 
‘Geographical Distribution of Animais’*. Thus, the true H. gracilis 
is found from Cape Verd and Senegal across to Abyssinia and south- 
wards to Natal, a range nearly exactly agreeing with the “ East- 
African ” subregion. I have seen no specimens of this species from 
Angola or Damaraland, so that I cannot say what, if any, form is 
found there ; but, according to Mr. Wallace, we should also expect 
to find the true H. gracilis in that district. Again, the varieties 
melanurus and badius occur, the first all over the ‘‘ West-,” and the 
latter over the “South-African”? subregions. It is true that speci- 
mens belonging to the true H. gracilis are sometimes, though rarely, 
found in both the other subregions, and H. badius occurs as far 
north as Zanzibar in the East-African subregion; but these facts 
only show the necessity for regarding the various forms as varieties, 
and not as species, which they might fairly be considered to be if 
each was strictly confined to its own district. 
It will be seen by the above synonymy that the variability in 
colour of H. gracilis has caused the formation of a considerable 
number of untenable species. The asterisks prefixed to the names 
show that I have seen typical specimens of the greater part of these 
so-called species; and I do not think there can be much doubt in 
the case of any of them. In my opinion, H. mutgigella, which at 
first sight seems so different from the rest, represents simply the 
unannulated form of H. gracilis, an intermediate state being repre- 
sented by a typical specimen of 7. iodoprymnus, Heugl., in the 
Leyden Museum. Of the other names, [ am not quite certain 
whether H. adailensis, Heugl., should not rather be placed under 
1 Vol, i. p. 258, and map, p. 250 (1876). 
