612 



MR. BLANFORD ON A SKULL OF PARADOXURUS. [JuUC 16, 



Mr. Thomas hoped to be able to give a fuller description, with 

 figures, of this interesting specimen at a future meeting of the 

 Society'. 



Mr. W. T. Blanford exhibited the skull of a Pnradoxurus, which 

 he believed to be an undescribed form, and made the following 

 remarks : — 



The skull now exhibited was sent to me together with a skin, from 

 which unfortunately nearly all the hair had been removed by moths, 

 by the Rev. S. Fairbank, of Ahraednagar in the Bombay Presidency, 

 about two years ago. He had received the specimen from Mr. F. 

 Levinge, who procured it in his own garden at Kodaikanal, on the 

 Palni (or Pulney) hills in the Madura district, Madras Presidency. 

 The natives of the hills called the animal " Kart-nai," or dog of 

 the woods ; and Mr. Fairbank suggested that it might be Paradox- 

 urus zeylonensis. Pall. (P. zeylanicus, Kelaart), a species hitherto 

 not known to occur elsewhere than in Ceylon. On comparison, 

 however, the skull was found to diflfer not only from that of P. 

 zeylonensis, but from all known species of Paradoxurus, in the 

 excessive length of the anterior palatine foramina, which are more 

 than 0*4 inch long (10 millimetres), and extend back as far as a line 

 drawn through the posterior edges of the anterior upper premolars. 

 In all other Paradoxuri the foramina are only half as long as in the 

 skull from the Palni Hills, and do not extend back further than a 

 line drawn through the hinder edge of the canines. 



On searching amongst specimens in the British Museum, Mr. 

 Oldfield Thomas (to whom I am indebted for much assistance in 

 working out this and other questions connected with Indian zoology) 

 called my attention to a flat skin presented some years since by Mr. 

 F. Day, C.I.E., and different from that of any known Paradoxurus. 

 This skin agrees with the description given by Mr. Fairbank, and 

 with the remains of that sent by him ; and although the exact 

 locality whence it was procured is uncertain, Mr. Day tells me he is 



1 During the passage of these remarks through the press, I have had, through 

 the kindness of the Directors of the Senekenberg Museum, the opportunity of 

 examining the original type of H. glaber described by Riippell. I find that 

 Mr. Phillips's specimen, while referable to the genus Heterocephalus, represents 

 a distinct and very much smaller species, which I would propose to call 

 ■ H. phiUijJsi, after its discoverer. It may be readily distinguished by the fol- 

 lowing comparative measurements : — 



Skull : — From Lambda to Basal Greatest Palate 



tip of nasals. length. breadth. length. 



millims. miUims. mUlims. millims. 



H.glaber 21-5 (c) 232 18-3 13'6 



H.fhillipsi 16-1 17-5 13-6 9-1 



Hind foot : — 



H.glaber 21-2 



H. phillipsi 16"6 



The type of H. phillipsi is a fully adult female. 



July 30, 1885. O. T. 



