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Show 1871.] MR. P. L. SCLATER ON ANIMALS IN THE MENAGERIE. 235 Nepal and II. javanica of Java. I believe, however, that this is quite a mistake. The two latter species are certainly very closely allied ; but I have no reason to doubt Mr. Waterhouse's determination that they are different. But H. longicauda is apparently quite distinct from either of them, having a slightly elevated crest and being black and white instead of brown and yellow. The Sumatran black and white specimen in the Leyden Museum spoken of by Mr. Water-house (I. c. p. 46) is probably H. longicauda. i lg. ... Shed spine of Hystrix longicauda (one-half the natural size). I exhibit some shed spines of our Hystrix longicauda, which, it will be observed, are at once distinguishable from those of the H. cristata group by being white, with only one nearly central black ring. It will be noticed that in Marsden's figure of II. longicauda some few of the spines are doubly barred with black ; but this is, no doubt, attributable to artistic error. I hope to be able to give further particulars concerning Hystrix longicauda whenever either of our specimens dies*. * Since this was written, Mr. W. Marshall has kindly supplied me with the following note on the Porcupines of this form in the Leyden Museum:- "In the Leyden Museum are examples of two species or races of Hystrix from the Southern Asiatic archipelago,-that is, H. javanica, and a Hystrix-form from Sumatra, under the Museum name H. mulleri, which is unquestionably the same as that which you call H. longicauda. S. Miiller (Verh. Nat. Geschied. p. 36) has already spoken of the differences between these two races, of which one comes from Java, the other from Sumatra. In our Gallery here we have of H. javanica three stuffed examples, two skeletons, and three skulls; of H. longicauda (under the M S . name H mulleri, Temm.) we have one full-grown example from Sumatra, and a very young one in its first year from Borneo. A half-grown individual, which is marked H. javanica, without any locality, is certainly referable to H. longicauda. What v. d. Hoeven intended by H. ecaudata is not clear to m e ; and his H. torquata is simply a synonym of H. javanica. The following table gives a comparison of the principal differences between the two allied species:- Length of longest spines in back ... Length of spines in the tail Length of spines in upper back ... Length of spines on the head Colour of extremities of head-spines Colour of spines on back Cervical band " In the skeleton and skull I can find no material differences between the r 1{ H. javanica. 220mnl 52 32 35 Dark brown. Yellowish orange, with a dark brown band. Yellowish, well developed. H. longicauda. im-iity*™- 69 53 57 Dark greyish black. White, with a dark brown band. White, subobsolete. |