On the Civet of the continent of India. 49 



the head than a separate pectoral zone. Outside the exter- 

 nal dark zone there are traces of a pale edging or band ; 

 and if we include this faint line (clear enough on the abdo- 

 minal aspect) as well as reckon separately the last named, 

 also counting the dark line of the head below, we have a 

 succession of eight pale and dark spaces. But the more 

 prominent are only four, whereof the outer dark one is some- 

 what broken on the shoulder, it descends nearly at right 

 angles, whilst the inner one is quite entire, more accurately 

 curved, and so broad below or on the abdominal aspect of 

 the neck that, that aspect must be called black rather than 

 white. Above, or dorsally, the neck has no mark, at least 

 none distinct, though the vague tracing of the dorsal mane 

 which only becomes distinct at the withers, may here be seen. 

 This mane is by no means strong or conspicuous, and it 

 ceases wholly at the base of the tail after somewhat breaking 

 the first pale caudal ring. It is accompanied by a white 

 edging on either side, and these colours thus pass into 

 that member, or the tail, which somewhat exceeds half the 

 length of the animal, and is gradually attenuated from a thick 

 base. 



Whatever other changes our larger Viverra are liable 

 to, the caudal rings hold an unvarying character, and in this 

 species they are uniformly six in number, pale upon a black 

 ground, with a gradually increasing interval towards the tip, 

 and, though wider below than above, yet upon the whole 

 far smaller than their dark interstices. One and half to two 

 inches of the dark ground colour occupy the tip of the tail 

 before the nearest pale ring is reached. It has already 

 been noticed that the dorsal mane breaks the first ring to- 

 wards the base of the tail. The body of the animal is 

 almost wholly immaculate, and even on the shoulders and 

 tibiae the wavy bands we expect to meet can hardly be 

 traced. In other mature specimens these lines may be seen 

 here and there, only, not on the flanks or body of the animal 



H 



