1882.] PROF. ST.-GEORGE MIVART ON THE ZLUROIDEA. 179 
The genus Bdeogale was first proposed by Dr. Peters in November 
1850', and a full description (with figure of external form, skull, 
teeth, and feet-pads) given by him in 1862 in his ‘ Reise nach 
Mossambique,’ Zoology (Mamm.), p. 119, pls. 26&27. The genus 
comes from Zanzibar and Eastern Africa. Peters describes the 
existence of two kinds of fur (as in Herpestes), viz. a thick soft wool, 
with longer less numerous hairs projecting from amongst it. The 
snout is rather long and pointed, but has the usual median groove. 
The pupils are horizontally elliptical ; the ears are short and rounded. 
There isno external trace of either pollex or hallux ; the third and 
fourth digits are of nearly equal length. The tarsus is quite hairy ; and 
so is part of the metatarsus ; the tail is bushy. 
The skull is said to be quite like that of splot but appears 
broader, the premolars and molars to be Pm. —, M. 4, and to 
resemble in shape those of Crossar Abus Cabancibad tapre d,p.181). Prof. 
Peters says :—‘‘Bdeogale presents the following peculiarities: —(1) The 
outer side of the upper sectorial is scarcely longer than its anterior 
side, whilst in Herpestes and Crossarchus it is considerably longer 3 
(2) there is on the postero-internal side of the upper sectorial a low 
tubercle placed between the greater inner tubercle and the long middle 
external cusp ; (3) the anterior part of the lower sectorial has a fourth 
small external cusp (instead of being tricuspidate, as in Herpestes, 
Crossarchus, and Suricata), so that a horizontal section of this division 
is not triangular but irregularly quadrangalar. There are 14 
thoracic, 6 lumbar, 3 sacral, and 25 (or 24) caudal vertebree. The 
clavicle is absent. The sternum consists of 8 sternebrze, to which 
9 pairs of the ribs are attached. There is both an olecranal and a 
supracondyloid perforation to the humerus. A minute rudiment of 
a first metacarpal is attached to the trapezium ; but there is no rudi- 
ment whatever of the first metatarsal. The tongue, like that of 
Herpestes, bears a patch of large backwardly directed spine-like 
papilla on the anterior half of its dorsum. The stomach is elon- 
gated and bent in the form of a horseshoe. The small intestine is 
135" long and 0'8 thick ; the large intestine is 24" long and 0'-15 
thick. The anus opens into the middle of a sac or pouch, as in 
Crossarchus*. The aorta gives off a common trunk for the carotids 
and right subclavian, and then the left subclavian separately.” 
In the stomach of one specimen Prof. Peters found a large Vipera 
rhinoceros (Schlegel). 
millim. 
Length of vertebral column from atlas to end of sacrum., 290°0 
bens throficandal’vertebre” . 2 ists So 2 le Pe te 260°0 
Bone OL ee SMU fay. Se Pela aae veh od Seaton ts 4 edo en ee 
Brendthy opayeomata (Psy le aot dares 42°5 
Pest on humerus 2b... fac eles mrs Sal ve a ole ae EO 
' Mittheilung in der Gesellsch. naturforsch. Freunde zu Berlin, Noy. 19, 1850. 
2 Dr. Peters says, “Der Analsack ist ganz so wie bei den Mangusten gebildet ;” 
and so I find it. 
12* 
