MELLIVORA. 287 



Dislrihution. — Yunnan (Anderson) ; China from Shanghai 

 southwards and Hainan (Swinhoe) ; in Formosa replaced by 

 H. aurantiaca. 



u. Skin Teng ye chew, Yunnan, J. Anderson. 



7-58. 

 b. Skin Mormien, Yunnan, 450oft.| J. Anderson. 



7-68. 



Genus MELLIVORA. 



Mellivora, Storr Prodr. Method. Mamm,, p. 34 (1780)*. 

 Ursitaxus, Hodgson As. Res., xix, p. 60 (1836) ; Type, M. indica. 



Mellivora indica. 



Meles indicus, Boddaert Elench. Anim., i, p. 80 (1785)*. 



Ursus indicus, Kerr Linn. Anim. Kingd., p. 188 (1792)*. 



Meles indica, Fischer Syn. Mamm., p. 151 (1829). 



Ratelus mellivorus, Bennei List An. Gard. Zool. Soc, p. 13 (1835)*. 



Ursitaxus inauritus, Hodgson As. Res., xix, p. 60 (1836) ; id. y. A. S. B., v, 



p. 671. 

 Mellivora ratel, Gray Cat. Hodgs. Coll., ist ed,, p. 13 (1846) ; Horsfleld Cat. 



B. I. Mus., p. 120; Blyth Cat. no. 207, p. 69, 

 Ratelus indicus, Schins Synop. Mamm., i, p. 329 (1844), 

 Mellivora indica, yerdon Mamm., p. 78 ; McMaster Notes on Jerion, p. 15 ; 



Gray Cat. Cam. Mamm.^ p. 122; Murray Zool. Sind, p. 32; Sterndale 



Mamm. Ind., p. 134; Thomas P. Z, S., 1886, p. 56; Blanford Mammals, 



p. 176- 



The Indian Ratel; Biju or Bijru Bhal, Hind.; Biyu kharwar, 

 Telegu; Tava karadi, Tamil; Gore pat, Sind; Bhassiar, ^STepal. 



Distribution. — India generally from the base of the Himalayas 

 southwards, but does not seem to occur in Lower Bengal or on the 

 Malabar Coast; is recorded from Sambar Lake (Thomas), Sind 

 (Murray), the Deccan and Northern Circars (McMasters) and 

 Goona, C. I. (I. M.) 



The distinctness of the African and the Indian Ratels has never 

 been satisfactorily settled ; Blyth believed them to be the same 

 when he wrote his catalogue, afterwards {cf. Jerdon's Mammals) he 

 believed them to be different from one another, and distinguished 

 the African form by the possession of a white stripe along the cheeks 

 which does not occur in the Indian form. P. L. Sclater (P. Z. S., 

 1870, p. 232) says that the animal which he described as M. leu- 

 conota could not when adult be distinguished from the Indian 

 Ratel ; and as there was no reasonable doubt that the type of 

 M. leuconota came from Africa, he came to the conclusion that 

 there was no specific distinction between the Indian and African 

 Ratels. 



Two fossil species (M. sivalensis and punjabensis) have been 

 described from the Siwalik beds [Pal. Ind. (10), ii, p. 180.] 



