364 MR. R. I. POCOCK ON THE 



pollex, with only a narrow strip of naked skin above it. In 

 the hind limb the hairs, as recorded by others, extend all over 

 the back of the metatarsus practically down to the hallux. 

 Judging from dried skins, there does not appear to be any 

 marked variation within the species in the hairiness of the- 

 metatarsus (text-fig. 6, 0, D, p. 359). 



This Mongoose is more digitigTade and stands higher on it& 

 legs than any member of the group of which I have seen living 

 specimens, not excepting even perhaps AfAlax 2)aludinosv,s. 



In Ariela fasciata the fore foot closely resembles that of 

 Mungos except that the digits and the naked area behind the- 

 plantar pad are relatively a little shoi'ter, the claws longei', and 

 the interdigital webs somewhat shallower. The hind foot is- 

 rather narrower than in Mungos, the lateral interdigital webs- 

 are much more deeply emarginate, whereas the median web 

 between the third and fourth digits is about as deep as in 

 Mungos but ties the toes a little closer together. The hallux is 

 as large as the pollex. The sole of the foot is naked back to the 

 tip of the calcaneum, and a little behind the plantar pad there 

 are traces of suppressed metatarsal pads (text-fig, 7, C, D, p. 360). 



The fore foot of Crossarchus ohscnrus does not differ from that 

 of Ariela fasciata except that the carpal pad is larger and has a 

 small supplementary lobe on its inner or pollical side, as in 

 Helogale, but detached from the main part of the pad. The 

 hind foot is relatively shoi^ter than in Ariela fasciata, owing to 

 the shortness of the third and fourth digits. In the specimens 

 examined, the heel, when unworn, is hairy*, the naked area of 

 the metatarsus corresponding exactly with that of Helogale. 

 This area exhibits a pair of low elongated metatarsal pads, of 

 which the external projects farther forwards than the internal 

 (test-fig. 7, A, B). 



In Cynictis jy^nicillata the hind foot, as has been often stated,, 

 is hairy below down to the plantar pad, and diflfers from that of 

 the genera hitherto recorded in the total suppression of the 

 hallux. The whole foot is comparatively long and narrow, and 

 the Avebs are very shallow, those between the second and tliird 

 and the fourth and fifth digits extending only slightly beyond 

 the plantar pad on each side, and although the web between the- 

 third and fourth digits is a little deeper, it only passes about half- 

 way up the admedian margin towards the digital pads, which, 

 like the digits themselves, are narrows The claws are long. The 

 three lobes of the plantar pa,d form a tolerably evenly cordate 

 mass narrower than in Mungos and Crossarchus. The fore foot 

 closely resembles the hind foot, but the claws are longer, the 

 interdigital webs are a little deeper, and the pollex, carrying 

 a long claw and set high abov« the plantar pad, is retained^ 

 although short. The area between the plantar pad and the small 

 submedian carpal pad is quite naked (text-fig. 8, C, D, p. 361). 



* Perhaps a variable character, since Thomas (P. Z. S. 1882, p. 86) mentioned 

 the nakedness of the hind soles amongst the generic characters of Crossarchus. 



