1040 MR. R. I. PococK ON [Nov. 26^ 



The skin of the Liberian example does not agree in all respects- 

 with that of the type of G. poensis. In the former the spots and 

 legs are rather blacker ; the ground-colour is a dark grey, faintly 

 washed with yellow, the chest and abdomen, and esjsecially the 

 chest, being decidedly darker than the sides of the body, and 

 the pale patches on the tail are greyish. In the type specimen,, 

 however, the spots are rather browner ; the limbs ai-e " brownish 

 black " ; the ground-colour is a " deep rich yellow-brown," the 

 rings on the tail are "yellowish" or "brownish," and the belly 

 and chest are the same colour as the interspaces of the sides of 

 the body, that is to say yellowish brown. The labial and sub- 

 ocular pale spots, which are usually white in Genets, are yellow. 

 Since leai-ning from Mr. Thomas that amongst native-prepared 

 African skins there are usually some discoloured by fire-smoke- 

 when being dried, I am disposed to attribute the colour differ- 

 ences above described between the two skins to that cause. 

 It is certain that the fur of the type of G. jjoensis has a dirty, 

 almost gritty feeling, and its inner side is hard, as if scorched. 

 However that may be, I do not think there can be much doubt- 

 that the two skins belong to the same species ; whether they 

 represent distinct geographical races or not, additional material 

 alone can settle. 



G. poensis was originally described from Fernando Po. It has 

 not been recorded since from that island. The evidence that 

 it came from Fernando Po appears to me to be untrustworthy, 

 Judging from the rest of the skins, alleged to be from that locality, 

 which formed the subject-matter of Mr. Waterhouse's paper.. 

 Some of the species represented, for example Cei-copithecits martini 

 and C. erythrotis, are known to occur on the mainland of Africa ; 

 and it is, in my opinion, highly probable that the entire collection 

 came from Lower IsTigeria or thereabouts *. 



As regards the allies of G. poensis, it appears to me to be- 

 probable that G. angolensis of Bocage f, recorded from Caconda 

 in Angola, is a related form. The limbs are said to be deep black 

 and the tail black with three or four greyish rings at the base, 

 exactly as in the Liberian specimen of G. poensis. Bocage, how- 

 ever, describes the pattern as consisting of large quadrangular 

 black spots and regular bands upon a cinereous ground, which 

 seems to indicate a larger spotted form than G. poensis. 



Nearer still to G. poensis, if indeed it be not specifically 

 identical with it, as its describer suggested, is G. genettoides 

 TemminckJ, which was based upon specimens from Rio-boutry 

 and Mina, and was said to be common on the coast of Guinea. 

 I can find nothing in the description of the lattei' species to 

 distinguish it from G.2)oensis ; and the probability of their identity 

 is enhanced by their geographical distribution §. 



* See also Pousargues, Ann. Sci. Nat. (8) iii. p. 286, 1896. 

 t Jom. Sci. Matt. Lisboa, ix. p. 29, 1884. 

 t "Esq. Zool. Guine, pt. 1, pp. 89-93. 



§ Pousargues, on the contrary, suggested that G. genettoides might be a synonym- 

 of G. pardina. 



