222 



MR. R. LTDEKKER ON THE 



When re-arranging, some fifteen years ago, the exhibition series 

 of mammals in the British Museum I came, however, to the 

 conclusion that this was incorrect ; and in the label on the 

 genus Mellivora I stated that although Ratels were generally 

 classed with Badgers, it appeared, from their peculiar type of 

 colouring and the form of the upper molar, that they ought to be 

 placed next the Tayra and Grison {Galictis) in the subfamily 

 Mustelinse, This revised classification (which renders the 

 definition of the last-named subfamily more concise) was followed 

 in the revision of Sir William Flower's article " Oarnivora," 

 contributed by myself to the eleventh edition of the ' Encyclopaedia 

 Britannica,' and likewise in my account of the Mustelidee in 

 ' Harmsworth's Natural History'*. It has also been adopted 

 in Max Weber's ' Saugetiere,' who probably follows Winge in 

 this respect. 



Test fi£-. 31. 



'mm. 4 



Left upper dentition of Mellivora and Galictis. 



A. Permanent teeth of Mellivora. 



B. „ ), Galictis. 



C. Milk-, and some of the permanent, teeth of Mellivora. 



Thus matters stood till a few days ago, when I observed 

 among a series of specimens sent to the British Museum by Miss 

 Olive MacLeod from the Lake Chad district the skull of a Ratel 

 in which the milk-dentition is just being replaced by the 

 permanent set ; the upper carnassial and molar being protruded, 

 but the milk-carnassial being still retained, as are the milk-molars 

 in advance of this tooth and the canines. 



* Vol. i. p. 513. In revising the 8th ed., 1906, of the 'Guide to the Mammal- 

 Galleries in the British Museum (Kat. Hist.),' 1 unfortunately allowed Blellivora 

 to retain its old position (p. 45). 



