374 
SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
one is u pentadactyli" Its colour is also darker 
than any of those kinds hitherto described^ 
and it is of very rare occurrence. Two dead 
specimens of it have been brought by us to 
England, which were killed on the banks of 
the T'Zilie river, in Kaffraria. When pursued 
by dogs, they took to the water, and endea- 
voured by both rapid swimming, and diving, 
to elude their pursuers : they were eventually 
speared. In formation it resembles the weasel, 
to which class it belongs. It appears to be, in 
fact, the South African u Ichnurneon" which 
had been supposed not to be in that part of the 
continent. In colour, it is dark brown, the 
hair long and glossy, and towards the points 
runs to dingy white; the tail is about nine 
inches long, and bushy near the body, but run- 
ning to a point ; the snout is long and sharp ; 
the ears round ; the eyes black, bright, and ac- 
tive; the dental formation carnivorous; and the 
feet are u pentadactyliP It measures twenty- 
one inches from the tip of the tail to the snout. 
By the Dutch, it is called the " Comitjehout" 
from the singular posterior formation, which is 
like a small bowl ; from this, when attacked, 
it emits a powerful and disagreeable odour. 
It appears to be an entirely new variety, and 
I therefore here introduce it as the " Viverra 
pentadactyli CafferP 
