SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 89 black or dark brown extend across the back successively from behind the shoulders to the tail. The long tail is ringed with this color throughout its entire length. Two dark stripes extend from the forehead along the upper neck to the shoulders, and lesser striping is found on the lower neck. Other streaks and spots appear on the flanks and legs. The head and body are Fig. 38 — Linsang about fifteen inches long, the tail about the same. The linsang is found from upper Burma, through the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra, Banka, Java, and Borneo. The linsang found in Borneo and Java {gracilis) is smaller than that of the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. This animal is equally at home on the ground and in the trees and is said to make an interesting pet. The Palm Civet (Paradoxurus) has well-developed scent glands. Its feet are adapted for climbing. The general shape of the body is long, the legs are short, the tail long and un-
90 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD banded except in the Celebes form. The body is marked with a definite pattern of dorsal stripes and lateral spots. The palm civets have a very extensive range, from southern China throughout the forested areas of southeastern Asia to Sumatra, the Philippines, and Ceram. A record from the Aru Islands is doubtful. In this great expanse of territory many forms have been distinguished ; some islands have their own subspecies. Palm civets of the East Indies, which are considered subspecies of the Indian palm civet {Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) , differ Fig. S9— Palm Civet slightly in color, in the amount of white about the head and cheeks, and in size. They are the size of a cat, but the legs are shorter and the tail longer. The ground color of most of the body is grayish buff, and a narrow black stripe extends down the center of the back with two lines on each side. The black tips of the longer hairs are sometimes so extensive that the pattern is obscured. The lateral lines are often broken up into spots, and the flanks and sides also are more or less spotted. The feet and legs are black, as is the terminal half of the tail. The Brown Palm Civet (Macrogalidia musschenbroeki) of Celebes is quite different from other members of the group. Because of its peculiar skull characters it has been placed in a separate genus. Its color is rufous brown with numerous white hairs intermixed. The white face markings of other palm civets
SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 91 are absent. The tail has alternate rings of dark and light brown. The palm civets are chiefly vegetarian. They feed on fruit but also eat small mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. They are frequently found about villages and spend much of their time in trees.
The Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata) is distinguished from the true palm civet by the absence of body pattern and r Fig. 40 — Masked Palm Civet by skull characters. It is found from Tibet, China, and Formosa south through the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo. It is about the size and build of a palm civet. The Sumatran and Bornean subspecies of masked palm civet is brownish buif, the neck and shoulders much darker, even black, the hind back and rump paler. The lower legs and feet are black and the tail darker toward the tip. Buffy white cheek patches extend from behind the ears to the forehead. The habits of this animal are similar to those of the palm civets. The Binturong or Bear Cat (Arctictis hinturong) is larger than the palm civets. The head and body attain about fifty-four inches in length, the tail a little less than half that amount. Its color is black or blackish brown but many of the hairs are tipped with a buffy or whitish color, which gives the coat a speckled
92 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD appearance. The amount of speckling differs widely; some specimens are almost black, others straw-colored. The head is always more heavily speckled than the body, and the ears are conspicuously tufted. The binturong is chiefly arboreal, and uses its prehensile tail in climbing. It ranges through southeastern Asia and from Sumatra to Borneo, Java, and Palawan.
The Small-toothed Palm Civet {Arctogalidia trivirgata) is tawny-colored and has a softer coat than any of the preceding. Fig. M— Small-toothed Palm Civet The head is usually darker and the underparts lighter than the back. A narrow white streak extends from the forehead to the nose. An indistinct dark line runs along the back from the crown to the tail, and in some of the forms two other lines parallel the median line; in some specimens these last lines may be
SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 93 broken up into spots. This animal is about forty-five inches long, the tail being a little more than half this length. It has arboreal habits, and being chiefly nocturnal, it is seldom seen. The range of the small-toothed palm civet extends from Assam and Burma to Java and Borneo.
The Banded Palm Civet (Hemigalus derby anus) has a characteristic color pattern. The dorsal ground color is dark buff. From the crown to the shoulders are two longitudinal dark bands, replaced on the shoulders by transverse bands. Across the back between the root of the tail and the shoulders are five additional broad transverse bands. The underparts are paler and unhanded. The head and body length is about twenty inches and the tail fifteen inches. The banded palm civet is found from Tenasserim to Sumatra, South Pagi Island, Sipora Island, and Borneo. It appears nowhere to be a common animal, and very little is known of its habits.
Hose's Palm Civet {Hemigalus hosei) is a relative of the banded palm civet with which it compares in size. It lacks the dark striping. This animal is uniform dark smoky brown with white spots on each side of the muzzle, over each eye, and on the ears and chin. It is found only in Borneo. The Otter Civet {Cynogale hennettii) externally suggests a short-tailed otter. The thick coat is dark brown, with the tips of many of the hairs gray. The total length is about thirty inches, the tail being about six inches. This rare animal is adapted for aquatic life and is an expert fisherman. It is found in the Malay States, Sumatra, and Borneo.
The mongooses may be distinguished from the civets by their longer, straighter claws, which cannot be retracted, and by lack of scent glands. They are long-bodied, weasel-like animals with bushy tails. They are chiefly terrestrial.
The Short-tailed Mongoose (Herpestes hrachyurus), which lives in the Malay States, Sumatra, and Borneo, is the largest and darkest of the East Indian mongooses. Its color is dark
94 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WOULD Fig. 42 — Short-tailed Mongoose brown or black. Many of the hairs are tipped with buff, especially on the head and tail. The legs are black. The head and body are about twenty inches long and the tail ten inches. Hose's Mongoose (Herpestes hosei) is a smaller and browner animal than the short-tailed mongoose. It is confined to Borneo. The Collared Mongoose (Herpestes semitorquatus) likewise is found only in Borneo. It is a richly colored animal, dark brown with huffy grizzling, and the sides and underparts rufous. A buff-colored stripe extends from the jaw below the ear along the side of the neck. The tail is much lighter in color than the rest of the body. The length of the head and body is about sixteen inches, of the tail about nine inches.
The Javan Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) is the only mongoose on Java. Related forms occur from southern China throughout much of southeastern Asia. The color varies ; in some it is dark brown with huffy specklings, in others rich mahogany. The head and body are about seventeen inches long and the tail about twelve inches.
The Crab-eating Mongoose (Herpestes urva) is about twenty inches in head and body length, its tail about nine inches. It is black grizzled with huffy and has a white stripe running from the corner of the mouth to the shoulder. The crab-eating mongoose is found from southern China and Formosa to Burma and Tenasserim.
species of mammals of the pacific aeea 95 Cats. Family Felid^ The cats have supple and muscular bodies, rounded heads, and sharp claws which can be retracted into protecting sheaths. The large cheek-teeth are of the shearing type, the canines long. The Tiger (Felis tigris), which with the lion shares the distinction of being the largest of the cats, occurs from Siberia and China through much of southern Asia as far as the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Bali. Various subspecies have been named, and the tigers from Sumatra, Java, and Bali have each been described as different. The Sumatran race (sumatrce) is supposed to be smaller than the Bengal tiger, more fully striped, and to have less white on the underparts. The Javan tiger (sondaica) differs chiefly in skull characters. The Bali race (balica) is still smaller. The markings, colors, and sexes of tigers from the same locality differ so greatly that it is doubtful whether these subspecies are valid. The tiger lives in thick jungle and feeds on deer, pigs, and often the cattle of the natives.
The Leopard or Panther (Felis pardus) occurs throughout southern and eastern Asia. South of the Malay Peninsula it is found only in Java and the Kangean Islands. Reports of its occurrence on Sumatra have never been substantiated. After the tiger, the leopard is the largest of the Asiatic cats. It is easily recognized by its large size — head and body from three and one-half to four feet long, tail from two and one-half to three feet in length — and by the character of its spots. Clusters of spots, or rosettes appear on the back and sides, and solid spots on its head, limbs, and belly. The leopard of Java and the Kangean Islands (melas) is distinguished by its small size, its short, dark, richly colored coat, and small, close-set rosettes. The black or melanistic form of the leopard is only a color phase of the regular leopard and does not represent a different species, as many believe. Even in the blackest individual the spots are visible in certain lights. The black phase is common
96 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD in the Malay Peninsula, where in certain sections it is more abundant than the spotted one. A single litter of cubs may contain both black and spotted individuals.
The Clouded Leopard (Felis nehulosa) inhabits the forested areas of southeastern Asia, Formosa, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. It ranks next in size to the leopard. The head and body of a large male may measure three feet. Its tail is longer than Fig. 43 — Clouded Leopard that of the common leopard, reaching about thirty inches. The color of the hair is grayish brown. The sides are ornamented with large darker grayish patches, often partially edged with black. The patches may be so large and numerous that the lighter background is reduced to a series of narrow bands. The long, well-furred tail and the exceptionally long upper canine teeth are outstanding characters of this animal. The clouded leopard prefers the forests and is more arboreal than most cats. The Marbled Cat {Felis marmorata) has the general markings of a clouded leopard but is little larger than a house cat. Its ears are rounded and its tail somewhat shorter than its