2 PEOFESSOB ALLMAX OX THE CHAEACTEES 



over by Mr. Du Chaillu from tropical Africa, and which forms at present part of the 

 collection in the British Museum. This skin, however, is in a wretched condition ; the 

 skull and teeth are altogether absent, and the specimen is otherwise mutilated ; so that 

 it had been quite impossible to obtain from it characters which might enable its zoolo- 

 gical affinities to be satisfactorily determined. 



Mr. Du Chaillu, however, had already described tlie animal from his mutilated skin, 

 aided by his recollection of it when alive ; and I am indebted to Mr. Sclater for having 

 directed my attention to an article* in the ' Proceedings of the Boston Society of 

 Natural History,' in which the African traveller describes, among other animals from 

 equatorial Africa, that to which the skin in question belonged, referring it to the 

 carnivorous genus Cynogale, under the name of Cynogale veJox, Du Chaillu. Mr. Du 

 Chaillu, however, is not without doubt as to the correctness of assigning his new animal 

 to the genus Cynogale ; and having in view the possibility of its being afterwards deemed 

 desirable to construct for it a separate genus, he suggests the name of Potanwgale as a 

 provisional generic appellation. 



The skin ha\ing been subsequently secured for the British Museum, it was examined 

 by Dr. J. E. Gray, who disputed the justice of Du Chaillu's determination of its 

 affinities, and maintained not only that it had no relation with Cynogale^ but that it 

 probably did not even belong to the order Carnivora, while he suspected that its real 

 relations would be found with the Rodentia. Under this impression, he proposed for it 

 a new generic name ; and the Cynogale velox of Du Chaillu became the Mythomys velox 

 of Gray f . 



Dr. Gray's characterization of his new genus is mucli more correct than that given by 

 Mr. Du Chaillu; but, as just said, not a remnant of the dentition had been left in the 

 skin, which was in other respects so very imperfect that it can afford no matter of surprise 

 to find so experienced and excellent a zoologist as Dr. Gray failing to discover its true 

 affinities; and it is only the chance which has thrown a comparatively well-preserved 

 specimen into my hands that has enabled me to determine the real position and rela- 

 tions of this remarkable mammal. 



It is not always that provisional names ought to be accepted ; they are not unfre- 

 quently a mere subterfuge, in which the ignorance or incapacity of the describer of 

 some new species seeks to take refuge without his thereby abrogating his claim to be 

 regarded as the original namer, though sounder views of the obvious facts may prove 

 the incorrectness of his determination. But when, as in the present case, the actual 

 absence of data renders it impossible to determine important characters, the describer is 

 quite justified in making the best of the material at his disposal, and, by the suggestion 

 of a provisional name, reser\ing to himself the right of giving this name to his 

 discovery, if further facts rendering it expedient sliould be brought to light. 



* Du Chaillu, " Ou Animals from Equatorial Africa believed to be new," Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., 

 vol. vii. p. 353. f Proc. Zool. Soc, 1861, p. 275. 



