48 VIVEKRIDJ?;. 



Viverra indica, Geoff. MS. ; Fischer-, Syn. Mamm. p. 171 ; ^esm. 



Mamm. p. 210; Gervais, Mag. Zool. 1835, p. 10, t. 19; Sorsf. 



P. Z. S. ii. (1832) p. 23. 

 ? Viverra bengalensis, Gray, Illust. Ind. Zool. i. t. 4. 

 Viverra leveriana, Shaw, Mus. Lever, t. 21. 

 Qenetta manillensis, Eydxmx. 

 Genetta indica, Lesson, Man. 174. 

 Lrenette rasse, F. Corner, Mamm. lAthogr. t. 

 Civette de Malacca, Sonnerat, Voy. n. 144, t. 91. 

 Viverriciila indica, Hodgson, Journ. Adat. Soc. Beng. x. p. 909. 



Var. Paler, spots less distinct. 



Viverra pallida, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. ii. p. 63 ; Illust. Ind. Zool. ii. 

 t. 6; P. Z. S. 1864, p. 514. 



Hah. Asia ; Madras {Elliot) ; Gangootra, Nepal (Hodgson) ; Java 

 {Horsfield) ; ? Comoro Islands (called " Tunga ") (Peters). 



Dr. Horsfield believed there were two species combined under this 

 name (see Proc, Zool. Soc. ii. p. 23, 1832) : — 



V. rasse. Back with eight broad longitudinal lines; the three 

 lateral lines on each side iaterrupted and obscure. 



V. indica. Back with eight narrow longitudinal lines ; the lateral 

 lines continued. 



I formerly thought that V. pallida from China, in which the spots 

 and stripes are very indistinct, might be dififerent ; but a series of 

 specimens from different localities seems to show a gradation from 

 one to the other. 



This species differs very much in colour from different localities 

 and perhaps in different seasons. The stripes and spots are some- 

 times very black and distinct ; at others, as in V. pallida, they are 

 very indistinct, scarcely to be distinguished from the general colour 

 of the fur. 



The skuU elongate, compressed ; nose compressed. The orbit im- 

 perfect behind, confluent with the temporal fossae. Grinders: — 

 false f . f ; front upper small, compressed ; the third rather thicker, 

 without any internal lobe ; the flesh-tooth trigonal, oblique, elon- 

 gate, half as long again as the width on the front margin — the 

 internal lobe trigonal, on the inner side of the front edge ; the front 

 tuberculars trigonal, outer side oblique ; front edge rather wider 

 than the length of the outer margin ; the hinder tubercular suboir- 

 cular, with three lobes. The lower jaw slender ; lower edge slightly 

 curved, without any prominence under the end of the tooth-line ; 

 the tubercular grinders subcircular, with three nearly equal lobes. 



Length of skuU 3| inches ; width of brain-case 1^ inch, at zygo- 

 matic arches If inch. 



I wrote to Dr. Peters to inquire if the TvMga of Anjuan could he 

 the V. fossa, and if it was not a Qenetta. He assures me that it 

 agrees in all particulars with the Indian V. rasse, and, " like it, has 

 no bald streak along the sole. It has a hairy sole to the hind feet, 



and a small callous spot to the pads of the palms towards the heel " 



Letter, 24th Nov. 1864. 



