1897.] SPECIES OF POTAMOCHCEETJS. 361 



African Bush-Pigs are to be separated froni Stcs, the Oriental forms 

 just mentioned have as good claims to be equally distinguished 

 by a separate generic denomination. However, the genus-name 

 Potamochoerus being in use, and being verj^ convenient for distin- 

 guishing the small group of African Pigs in question, it might 

 as well be maintained. 



There are, up to the present day, three recognized species of 

 Bush-Pigs or Eiver-Hogs {Potamochoerus) in Africa : — 



1. The West-African Eiver-Hog, generally known as Potamo- 

 choerus penicillatus (Schinz), extending from Angola as far north 

 as Senegambia, and, according to ISchweinfurth and Emin Pasha, 

 as far east as Monbuttu. 



2. The 8outh- and East-African Bush-Pig, which, in this 

 country at least, is generally called Potamochoerus africanus 

 (Schreb.), and is supposed to extend as far north as Abyssinia. 



3. The Madagascar Wild Hog, called by Grrandidier Potamo- 

 choerus edivardsi. 



As regards first the scientific names, I have the following 

 observations to offer : — 



Gervais was the first to assert (Hist. N. Mamm. 1855), and 

 after him Nathusius (Vorstudien, 1864), that the Sus jtenicillatus 

 of Schinz (1847) was the long-forgotten Porous yuineensis of 

 Marcgrave, Klein, and others {Sus guineensis, Briss. ; Sas porcus, 

 L., Gmel., &c.); whereupon J. E. Gray, in 1868, restored to this 

 beast its original Linnsean specific name, '^ Potamochoerus porcus" 



Linnaeus (S. N. 10th ed.) identifies his Sus porcus as the Porcus 

 guineensis of Ray, who himself had stated that his description and 

 name were taken from Marcgrave. Gray (1868 and 1869), quoting 

 Marcgrave, says : — " MarcgraA'e describes it as having a cyst on 

 the navel, and says that it had been introduced by the negroes, and 

 naturalized in Brazil." Erom the text of Marcgrave it appears 

 that he does 'not say that his P. guineensis has a cyst on the navel, 

 he does not say that it had been introduced by the negroes, and 

 he does not say that it had been naturalized in Brazil. Habent sua 

 fata libelli ! The following is the description of P. gimieensis in the 

 posthumous work of Marcgrave : — 



" Porcus guineensis, et e Guinea in Brasiliam translatus, figura ut 

 nostrates et ruffi coloris : in hoc autem differt a nostratibus, 

 quod caput habeat non ita elatum : aures autem longas et acutas 

 plane et prolongatis acuminibus, caudam longam usque ad talos 

 propendentem, pilorum expcrtem. Totum corpus tegitur pilis 

 brevibus rutfis splendentibus, non setis, quibus et in dorso caret, 

 sed tantum versus caudam in dorso et circa coUum paulo longiores 

 habet pilos. Plane cicur." ' 



Out of evil, however, has come some good, for Gray's more 

 than free translation gave an opportunity to Prof. Reinhardt, 

 of Copenhagen (in a letter addressed to the Secretary of this 



^ Geokgi Marcgravi de Liebstad, "Misnici Germani, HistoriiB Kerum 

 Natiiralium Brasilise, Libri Octo " : ' Hist. Nat. Brasilise,' Lugd.-Bat. et 

 Amstelod. (Elzev.) 1648, p. 1'30. 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1897, No. XXIV. 2i 



