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Show 50 MR. O. THOMAS ON THE [Jan. 5, 5. On the Species of the Hyracoidea. By OLDFIELD THOMAS, F.Z.S. [Received December 1,1891.] (Plate III.) The present paper is an attempt to work out the species contained in the group Hyracoidea, a group which has of late years attracted the attention of several prominent systematic workers, but which, owing partly to its inherent difficulties and partly to want of material, has remained in a terrible state of chaos. The difficulties of the subject are indeed so great, owing mainly to the slight differences and great variability of the species, that in spite of my material being many-fold greater than that available for any of m y predecessors, I can only feel that m y results are quite provisional, and will need further revision when larger and better series from more localities are obtained. The material before m e consists of about 120 skins and spirit specimens, and 122 skulls and skeletons, a number far in excess of what any previous worker has had. This number is made up, firstly, of the Museum series (71 skins & c , 67 skulls), which contains the types of the species described by Grayx in his many papers on the subject, and the large series of Abyssinian specimens collected by Mr. W . T. Blanford and used as the basis of his work on the group. Secondly, the fine series (47 skins & c , 48 skulls) belonging to the Genoa Museum, containing large numbers of the Abyssinian and Shoan forms and also the only good specimens that I have seen of the Senegal Hyrax (Procavia latastei). This collection formed the basis of M . Lataste's work on the group2-work only just begun, and of which only a few preliminary remarks had been published, but work nevertheless of the highest and most thoughtful character, so that it has been a great misfortune in this respect that M . Lataste has had to throw up the Hyracoidea on quitting Europe for S. America. All his drawings and notes, however, have been transmitted to m e by the Marquis G. Doria, to w h o m I also owe the loan of the collection itself, and to whom therefore my most sincere thanks are due. Thirdly, four skulls of the Angolan species, including the type skulls of both P. welwitschii and P. grayi, kindly lent m e by Prof. Barboza du Bocage of the Lisbon Museum, these being the skulls described and figured by him in his excellent paper on the genus published in 1889. Fourthly, two skulls of P. syriaca lent m e by Dr. P. Matschie of the Berlin Museum, with the permission of Prof. Mobius. I am also indebted to the former for much assistance in reference to the 1 Except that of P. welwitschii. 2 Ann. Mus. Genov. (2) iv. p. 6 (1886). |
