84 MR. O. THOMAS ON THE [Jan. 3, 
This species may be readily distinguished from all its allies by its 
bushy white-tipped tail and its peculiar greyish yellow colour. I 
can find no tangible specific differences between the various forms 
which have been described as distinct species. C. leptura, Smith, 
judging from his figure, appears to be slightly different from the rest ; 
but the typical skull, in the British Museum, shows no characters 
whatever by which to separate that form from the rest ; moreover 
there is in the Leyden Museum a specimen, in other respects quite 
the same as O. penicillata, which has as slender a tail as C. leptura. 
I therefore do not think that the latter can stand as a species 
distinct from C. penicillata. 
Dr. Smith, in the letterpress to his figure of C. ogilbyi in his 
‘Tllustrations,’ gives a full account, too long to quote here, of the 
habits of this species. It is said to inhabit dry and sandy plains, 
where it lives in holes in the ground, to which, however, it only 
retires during the night, passing the day in hunting for mice, small 
birds, &c., or simply basking in the sun. 
Teeth of Cynictis. 
P.M?. M*. Percentages. 
a. air siel | oul 63 
| ees Aa Ee 5:0 66 
CRT 8:9 553 59 
kM ay al 8:0 4:6 57 
VY. RHINOGALE. 
Rhinogale, Gray, P. Z.8. 1864, p. 375 (woodcuts of 
Sit en ae Bee Se cai Tats s eeaniahs kt. melleri. 
Range. That of the only species. 
Toes 5—5. Teeth, I. 5, C. P.M. 5 M. a 2=42. No naked 
line from nose to upper lip. General form of skull rounded, without 
marked angles or crests. Palate deeply concave both transversely 
and antero-posteriorly. Teeth rounded, suited for grinding rather 
than cutting. Last molars above and below proportionally very 
large, the lower one as long as the first molar, and very possibly 
with an extra external cusp; but the teeth are too much worn in 
the only known specimen for this point to be madeout. Lower jaw 
rather peculiarly twisted (ef. original figures). 
This genus is a somewhat remarkable one, having the general 
external form of the true grooved-nosed Herpestines, while it has the 
hairy nose and the generally rounded skull and dentition of the 
present section of the group. It is, moreover, quite peculiar among 
the genera of this group in possessing a distinctly concave palate, a 
character which readily separatesit from all other Mungooses. Iam 
not prepared to say at present to which of the other genera Rhinogale 
is most nearly allied, as it presents such a mixture of characters that 
without further material a satisfactory decision on this point is ex- 
tremely difficult to arrive at. However, it naturally falls into this 
place by the’ characters used to arrange the other genera; so that we 
Type. 
