178 CARNIVOEA. 



Kelaart states^ that the type of S. rubiginosus was forwarded to Blyth, who 

 had published the description of H. ellioti subsequent to Kelaart's account of the 

 species, but Blyth, after he was in possession of JS. rubiginosus, regarded S. ellioti 

 as identical with it. 



This species is apparently confined to Ceylon, but the two specimens in 

 the Leyden Museum are doubtfully labelled as coming from Cape Coast and 

 from the Congo in Africa. These specimens, however, were purchased in 

 London from a dealer, and the localities assigned to them are unquestionably 

 erroneous. 



Herpestes maccarthi^, Gray. Plate IX, figs. 7 & 8. 



Oynktis maccarthia, Gray, Proc, Zool. Soc. Lond. 1851, p. 131, Mamm. pi. xxxi. ; Ann. and Mag. 



Nat. Hist. 1853, vol. xii. p. 47 ; Kelaart, Prod. Faun. Zeylan. 1853, vol. ii. pt. i. Append, p. xvi. 

 Herpestes fulvescens, Kelaart (Blyth), Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, 1851, vol. xx. pp. 162 & 184; vol. xxi. 



1852, pp. 348 & 349; Cat. Mamm. As. Soc. Mus. 1863, p. 52; Prod. Faun. Zeylan. vol. ii. 



pt. i. 1853^ Append, p. xvi. 

 Herpestes flavidens, Kelaart, Prod. Faun. Zeylan. 1852, p. 44; Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, 



1851, vol. XX. p. 162. 

 Onycliogale maccartJiicB , Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1864, p. 570, et Cat. Carniv. Mamm. 1869, 



p. 168. 



The type of tliis species which is in the British Museum Kved for some time 

 in the Zoological Society's Garden, London. The chief characteristic of the genus 

 Onychogale, which Dr. Gray founded for its reception, was the long, compressed 

 and curved nature of the front claws, which, however, appears to have no other 

 explanation than that it was the result of disuse induced by a life of confinement. 

 The other generic character stated by Dr. Gray in his catalogue, is in the following 

 terms : " The hinder end of the skull deeply and sharply notched instead of 

 being transversely truncated, as in the small Herpestes. The notch in the living 

 animal filled up with a cartilaginous septum." This refers to the form of the 

 posterior narial border of the palatines,^ which is subject to considerable variation 

 in this, as in other groups of animals. These seeming characters being thus 

 explained away, it does not appear that this Ceylonese form differs in any respect 

 from Herpestes. 



In the British Museum there are two other Mungooses from Ceylon, both of 

 which differ from the type of M. maccarthice, in the general character of their colora- 

 tion, but agree with it in the texture, length, and density of their fur. One is a 

 larger individual than H. maccarthice, and stands under the name of S. fulvescens, 

 Kelaart, whereas the other is smaller, darker and unnamed. The former is a pale- 

 yellow Mungoose, whereas the latter is a darkish olive-brown Kerpestes. My 



» Prod. Fauna, Zeylan. 1852, pp. 43 & 44. 



2 In Dr. Gray's original description in the Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 570, he is made to say that the back of the 

 nafe is deeply and sharply notched, the word I have italicised being evidently a misprint for nose, or, perhaps 

 more accurately, palate. 



