EXTERNAL CHARACTERS OF MOXGOOSES. 363 



more deeply emarginate. The hair on the carpus reaches the 

 carpal pad, which has a supplementary lobe at the base on 

 the inner (pollical) side. In the hind foot the hallux is small, 

 smaller than the pollex, as in Mungos aioropunctatus, and the 

 heel is hairy, when the hairs are not worn off. 



Peters' figures of the feet of typical H. unchdata from 

 Mozambique differ in some respects from those of the examples 

 ■of this genus I have seen (' Reise nach Mossambique,' Saug. 

 pi. XXV., a, b). In the foi-e foot the hair does not reach the 

 ■carpal pad, which is small and single, and the pollex is set higher 

 up the foot. In the hind foot a larger extent of the underside is 

 overgrown with hair. But the complete absence of detail in the 

 outline of the plantar pads does not attest care in the execution 

 of these figures *. 



The feet of aii example of Atilax paludinosus from South 

 Africa differ from those of Mungos in one or two particulars, 

 notably in the complete suppression of the interdigital webs, 

 the digits being separated right down to the plantar pad. Both 

 pollex and hallux are long. The plantar pad is elongated and 

 distally narrowed, the apex of the median lobe being less 

 truncated than in Mungos, and the two lateral lobes are set 

 relatively a little farther back. Small pollical and hallucal 

 lobes are retained, but are detached from the posterior angle 

 of the internal lateral lobe of the plantar pads. In the fore foot, 

 the carpal pad is elongated and set on the external side of 

 the middle line of the naked carpal area. The hind foot shows 

 no distinct traces of metatarsal pads, and in the example 

 examined the whole of the metatarsus was naked beneath, and 

 ^ naked strip of skin extended along the underside of the heel 

 to its tip, but, as Thomas has shown, the degree of hairiness of 

 the tarso-metatarsus varies considerably within the species, this 

 area sometimes being naked as in the specimen described above, 

 sometimes the heel alone being hairy, and sometimes the hair 

 extending nearly as low as the plantar pad. I am not aware 

 whether geographical races have been studied from the standpoint 

 of this character, or not. 



The absence of the interdigital webs in this Mongoose 

 constitute, in my opinion, a valid reason for resuscitating the 

 genus Atilax (text-fig. 5, C, D). 



In an example of Iclmeumia alhicaiula from Dufile (White 

 Nile) the feet are slendei- and longish, with decidedly emarginate 

 webs, recalling in these respects those of Mimgos gracilis rather 

 than of M. mungo or M. smithii. The hallux and pollex, about 

 •equal in size, are set well above the plantar pad. The carpal 

 pad is semielliptical, of moderate sizfe and higher than the 



* In s^'stematic works, SeJogale i^merelj' distinguished from Mmigos by the 

 suppression of the diastema between the canine and pm.^ of the upper jaw, 

 pm.' being absent, as sometimes occurs in Mungos. As living animals, Selogale 

 and 3Iungos are very different in appearance, the former being a squat little 

 ■creature vi'ith a comparatively short tail and a broad head \\itli short, pointed 

 muzzle. 



