THE MALAYAN BADGER IN BORNEO. 
143 
wider again on the lumbar region, whence it passes on to the tail. 
In one skin the hairs at the base of the tail are dark, forming a 
basal ring which Oldfield Thomas notes is absent in his lucifer. 
In the other the underside only of the tail is brownish. 
Oldfield Thomas comments on the roundness of the skull of 
his type, which he says is generally a youthful character. He adds, 
however, that “ the type seems fully adult, its sphenoid suture 
being quite and its basilar partly closed.” 
If he is right in regarding his two specimens as adults, then 
the two skins in the Raffles Museum possibly represent a new 
•species, or subspecies, twice the size of that described by Oldfield 
Thomas from Borneo as lucifer. I would suggest naming this new 
form Mydaus javanensis montanus. 
I am inclined to think that it would be more correct to re- 
legate all the Mydaus “ species ” to subspecific rank, regarding 
them all as geographical races of but one species, which would be 
known by the oldest name, viz. M. javanensis Desmarest. 
The exceptional size of monianus however might perhaps 
■entitle it alone to specific distinction, but until a complete skin 
with skull is seen, I prefer to regard it as the Bornean mountain 
form of javanensis, while the name lucifer must be restricted! to the 
Bornean lowland form.* 
Life in the mountain fastnesses of the interior of Borneo, un- 
disturbed or perhaps less harassed by native hunters, who alone 
would constitute their real danger, might well have favoured the 
development of a larger and presumably stronger race, whose 
chances of survival were greater than those of their less favoured 
relations living in the more populated lowland country. 
Evidently both forms are rare and much restricted in their 
distribution ; probably they are dying out. Collectors in Dutch 
Borneo and Sarawak have apparently failed to find it in that part 
of Borneo, but from inquiries made recently in North Borneo it 
seems to be known there still. One correspondent, Mr. R. J. Cock- 
rill, writes from Lahad Datu, British North Borneo (4th January, 
1921) 
“ I have twice seen the animal, called here “ Singgoeng ” 
in this District, East Coast. 
“ The first occasion was some years ago when one came 
under my Bungalow in Lahad Datu at night. It was attacked 
by my dogs and emitted the very strong smell you mention, — 
so much so that my guests and myself had to clear out until 
the atmosphere was less’ ‘thick.’ We killed the animal in 
my garden. 
* The introduction of a new name based on such inadequate material 
is usually difficult to defend. I would, however, quote as a precedent the 
Argus Pheasant ( A . bipunctatus ) described some 50 years ago from a single 
feather, which is still the only known “specimen” of that mysterious species 
and still to be sought for in this part of the world. 
