496 ZOOLOGICAL EESULTS OF THE EUWENZOEI EXPEDITION. 



seven days old. As no milk was obtainable he had been feeding it upon " palm-oil " ! 

 which had so upset its digestive system that we failed to keep it alive. Natives say 

 this animal is not uncommon and frequents the reed-beds on the river-banks.- — • 

 R. B. W.] 



It is much to be regretted that no adult specimen was obtained from this interesting 

 locality. 



39. MUNQOS SANGUINEUS PROTEUS Thos. (Plate XXI.) 



2 d, o. 99, 108, 132. ?. 114, 115, 128. Mubuku Valley, E. Ruwenzori. 

 5000-7000 ft. 



A very variable form, usually strongly affected by melanism. 



In the single wholly non-melauistic specimen the colour throughout, of body, limbs, 

 and tail (apart from the black terminal pencil), is grizzled tawny ochraceous, darkened 

 on the posterior back ; the upper surface of the hands and feet terminally rich rufous. 

 From this there is a complete series of intergradations to one in which the body is 

 blackish-bistre, the tail even darker, practically black throughout, and the feet deep 

 glossy black. The type is an intermediate specimen, its general colour mummy-brown, 

 but its feet and tail wholly blackish. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in the flesh) : — 



Head and body 306 mm. ; tail 260 ; hind foot 59 ; ear 25. 



Skull: condylo-basal length 61. 



Type. Adult female. B.M. no. 6.12.4.35. Original number 115. Collected 13th 

 March, 1906, by Mr. R. E. Dent. " 



This remarkably variable Mongoose forms a parallel to the Alpine Squirrels, which 

 are commonly affected by melanism in a similar way. Possibly something of the same 

 sort occurs in Abyssinia, where the dark " mutgigella " has been considered to be the 

 same species as the true M. gracilis. Elsewhere in Africa forms of the M. gracilis 

 group are very constant in colour. We have given figures (PI. XXI.) of the most 

 extreme forms. 



No members of this group, light or dark, have been described from the Lake 

 region of Central Africa. 



[Not uncommon on Ruwenzori, but was not seen above 7500 ft. It has the 

 reputation among the natives of being a great chicken-thief. The native name is 

 " Kissere."— R. B. W.] 



40. Crossakchus fasciatus macrurus Thos. 



c? . 133, 671. Mokia, S.E. Riiwenzori. 3400 ft. 

 Size larger than in true C. fasciatus and tail markedly longer. 

 Colour quite as in Zululand specimens of C. fasciatus, the general tone similarly 



