CYNICTIS LEPTUEUS. 
is considerably shorter than the hair ; the latter on the head, body, and 
anterior extremities is strongly recumbent, but on the outer surface of the 
posterior extremities and the tail it is more or less divergent, and on these is 
considerably longer than elsewhere ; on the head it is very short. The colour 
of the fur is uniform, and the slight variegations which appear depend upon 
the markings of the hair. For the characters of the teeth and the form of the 
head, see Plate 18 , and its descriptive letter-press. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Inches. Lines. 
Length from the tip of the nose to 
the root of the tail 15 11 
Length of the tail 9 3 
Height at the shoulder 5 3 
Inches. Lines. 
Distance between the point of the 
nose and the eye 1 2 
Distance between the eye and the 
base of the ear superiorly ... 0 6 A 
The almost uniform colour of this species enables us easily to distinguish 
it from the other two found in South Africa, — the comparative shortness of 
the hair with which it is covered, and the slenderness of the tail, in which 
respect it is more akin to Herpestes than Cynictis, are also available diagnostic 
characters. 
It hat has been said touching the habits of Cynictis Ogilbyii will equally apply to the 
present animal. It inhabits arid plains towards the Tropic of Capricorn, and, like its congeners, 
passes some portion of its time under ground. It feeds upon small quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, 
insects, &c. 
Though but a few years have elapsed since the genus Cynictis was established, we have 
already four well-marked species, belonging to it, all of Africa. The species which fur- 
nished Mr. Ogilby with the characters of the group, had, for years, been known as an 
inhabitant of South Africa, under the name of Herpestes penicillatus, but the peculiarities which 
demanded its removal from Herpestes were only discovered by the above named able naturalist 
m 1833. The other three have been discovered since, two of them in South Africa and the 
other in Sierra Leon. Of the four, Cynictis Ogilbyii is perhaps the most typical species; 
after that C. Steidmanii, then C. lepturus, and, lastly, C. melanurus, Martin.* The two last, 
except in the essential characters, present considerable resemblance to Herpestes, particularly in 
the character of the hair and the size and figure of the tail. 
Fort Pitt, Chatham, 
30tA August, 1839. 
* Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London for 1836, p. 56.’ 
