AECTICTIS BINTTTEONG. 131 



large, black and prominent, edged with white, and terminated by tufts 

 of black hair. Its habit of body is slow and crouching. In its habits it is 

 quite nocturnal, solitary and arboreal, creeping along the larger branches, 

 and aiding itself by its prehensile tail. It is omnivorous, eating small 

 animals, birds, insects, fruit and plants. It is more wild and retiring 

 than Virerrine animals in general, and it is easily tamed ; its howl is loud. 



One examined had 14 pairs of ribs ; the intestines were 9 feet 9 inches 

 long, and the coecum 1 inch. 



This bear-cat was classed by Cuvier and Cantor among the Ursince, and 

 it may be considered a sort of Jink between the plantigrade and digitigrade 

 Camivora, with some distant analogies to the Lemurs. I have followed 

 Blyth in his Catalogue in placing it after Paradoxurus, It has been 

 stated to inhabit Nepal, Bhotan, and Assam, but it does not occur in the 

 Catalogue of Hodgson's Collections. It is said to have been obtained from 

 Bhotan by M. Duvaucel, and will probably be found to occur rarely in 

 the north-eastern limit of our province. It is known! from the hills of 

 Assam, Arrakan and Malayana. 



Other animals belonging to this group of Camivora are Cryptoprocta 

 ferox, Bennett, from Madagascar ; Cynogale bennettii, Gray {Potamophilus 

 barhatus, Kuhl), an aquatic species from the Malayan peninsula, Sumatra, 

 &c. 



The next group have been separated by Blyth as a distinct sub-family, 

 Herpestidince. They differ from the Viverrince by the quality of their 

 fur, which is long and harsh, and generally ringed with pale and dark 

 tints ; the tail is thick and bushy at the base, more tapering than in the 

 tree-cats, and they have a large and simple pouch with the anus situated 

 within its cavity. The bony orbits of the skull are perfect in several 

 species. Compared with the Paradoxuri, they are much more terrestrial, 

 seeking their prey entirely on the ground, and very rarely climbing trees. 



Gen. Heepestes, Uliger. 



Syn. Mangusta, Fischer. 



Char. — Teeth as in Viverra, but the molars vary in number, some 

 . . 5—5 ^, 6—6 , 6—6 



^^^^ 5II5' ^^'^^^^ gHe ' ^°'"® 7II7 ' ®*''® ™*^'' ^'^°^ ^^'^ rounded ; 



feet all with five toes, with large compressed, incurved, somewhat 



