122 VIVEEEITfJE. 



the cheek ; tail ringed with dark bands ; feet dark. Size of the last, or 

 nearly so. 



This species differs chiefly from V. zibetha in the more pronounced 

 character of the dark marks, and in the purer gray of the ground color ; 

 and it would perhaps be considered by some as a climatal variety ; indeed, 

 Mr. Blyth himself, ia a note to this species (Cat. p. 44), says " the differ- 

 ence however is scarcely greater from V. zibetha than in the most dissimilar 

 examples of Mlis hengalensis.''' All that I have seen, however, were quite 

 true to the particular type of marking, and in no case showed any tendency 

 to the uniformity of coloration sometimes met with in zibetha. 



The Malabar civet-cat is found throughout the Malabar coast, from the 

 latitude of Honore at all events to Cape Comorin, and very possibly it 

 extends further north. It inhabits the forests and the richly wooded low 

 land chiefly, but is occasionally found on the elevated forest tracts of 

 Wynaad, Coorg, &c. It is very abundant in Travancore, whence I have 

 had many specimens. It is not recorded from Ceylon, but most probably 

 will be found there. I have procured it close to my own house at Telli- 

 cherry, and seen specimens from the vicinity of Honore. I never obtained 

 it from the Eastern Ghats nor in Central India. It is stated by the natives 

 to be very destructive to poultry. 



Viverra tangahmga, Gray, is very closely allied to F. zibetha. It 

 inhabits the Malayan peninsula and islands as far as the Philippines. V. 

 civetta, vera, is from Africa. 



2nd group. Size small, vermiform; nails more raptorial ; thumb re- 

 mote ; of Bcansorial habits. 



s. g. Viverricula, Hodgson. 



121. Viverra malaccensis. 



Gmelin. — Blyth, Cat. 143. — V. indica, Geofpeoy. — Elliot, Cat. 20 — 

 V. rasse, Horsfield, apud Sykes, Cat. — V. pallida, Gray (variety), figd. 

 Hardwickb, hi. Ind. Zool. 2, pi. 6 — Mushah hilli, H. — Kasturi, Mahr. ; 

 also Jow&di 'jnanjur — Gando gaula or Gandha goJcul, Beng. — Punagin 

 heh, Can. — Punagu pilli, Tel., these names all signifying musk-cat ; popu- 

 larly Katds, Beng. — Sayer and Bug-nyul, in the Nepal Terai. 



The Lesser Civet-Cat. 

 Descr. — Tawny gray or grayish-brown, with several longitudinal lines 



