86 MR. O. THOMAS ON THE [Jan. 3, 
Dr. Kirk has done so much to make the zoology of Zanzibar known. 
to us, it seems on the whole more probable that this species does 
not occur there, but that the Zambesi is its proper habitat, 
especially as Dr. Meller was there considerably longer than he was 
at Zanzibar. 
However, it is not very likely that it can be much longer before 
such a large and well-marked animal is again discovered ; and then 
the question of locality will be satisfactorily settled. 
Molars of Rhinogale. 
Upper Per- Lower Per- 
P.M*. MM? centage M1. M2. centage. 
Phe MOU ENG. nO TD 55 73 6:4 6°4 100 
VI. CroSssARCHUS. 
Crossarchus, F. Cuv. Hist. Nat. Mamm. ii. livr. 
Ay (CLOLON prmtte owt eri ae eee tes ele aay est care ge ea Cee oe 
Ariela, Gray, P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 565 (1864).... C. fasciatus. 
Mungos, Gray, P.Z,.8. 1864, p. 575 (1864) 
(HES PETG pl oerein sere 6 tye rice eeece arn eters ... CO. gambianus. 
Range. Africa south of the Sahara. 
Toes 5—5. Teeth, I. = C. i P.M. ay M. 5x 2=36. Nonaked 
central line on nose. Hind soles naked. Skull depressed, as in 
Herpestes. Teeth rounded, without sharp cutting-edges. Vacuity 
in floor of auditory meatus oblong, in filling up often forming a row 
of smal] holes, as in Suricata. Last lower molar with an extra cusp 
in the centre of the outer edge, as in Bdeogale and the subgenus 
Ichneumia”. 
This genus includes four species, scattered over the continent of 
Africa. It is a matter of considerable interest to find that the three 
species placed by Gray under “ Mungos,” in a separate subfamily 
from Crossarchus, are not really generically distinct from the single 
species hitherto supposed to be the only member of this genus*. I 
ean find no differences of importance whatever between these 
various forms ; in fact C. obscurus resembles, at least in dentition, 
C. zebra and C. gambianus more than either of these do C. fasciatus. 
It is true that in our only skeleton of C. obscurus there is a certain 
amount of difference in the length of the hallux as compared with 
that of the other species; but an examination’ of a considerable 
number of skins does not show any constancy in this character, 
Type. 
' Ogilby’s genus was founded solely on the Cinghalese species H. witzicollis, 
Benn.; H. gambianus and fasciatus happening to be mentioned in the same 
paper, Gray took it as founded on them, and made another genus, “ Teniogale,” 
to contain the Ceylon form, 
? See p. 76. 
8 Since the above was written, Prof. Mivart has pointed out to me that the 
researches of Chatin into the structure of the anal glands of the Carnivora (Ann. 
Sci. Nat. 5th series, xix. p. 89, n., 1874) fully confirm the opinion here expressed 
: to the generic relationship of the striped Mungoose (C. fasciatus) with C. 
obscurus. 
