OCR Text |
Show 926 MR. OLDFIELD THOMAS ON MAMMALS [Dec. 14, The chief localities where Mr. Whyte collected were the Nyika Plateau (about 10° 30' S., aud 33° 30' E.), the Masuku Plateau, slightly further northwards, and Fort Hill (about 9° 40' S., 33° 20' E.), these localities all lying just to the west of the north end of Lake Nyasa, and at altitudes of from four to seveu thousand feet. A few odd specimens were also obtained at Karonga and Buarwe on the lake shores. I have also included in the list some few additional specimens from Zomba and the south end of the lake, and among others the very interesting results of a trip made by Mr. Whyte to Mount Malosa, just north of Mount Zomba, in November, where he obtained examples of several species not previously recorded from Nyasaland. N o w that Mr. Whyte has retired from his labours in the tropics, it is only fitting that in this, the last paper that will appear on his Mammals, special reference should be made to the great value of the services he has rendered to zoology in general, and to our knowledge of mammals in particular, and to the way iu which, during the past six years, he has utilized the opportunities given him by the generosity and public spirit of Sir Harry Johnston. As in previous papers, a few specimens are included which the Museum owes to other members of the Nyasa Administration, notably to Mr. Alfred Sharpe, and now that Mr. Sharpe has succeeded to Sir Harry Johnston's post, w e may hope that by his help our knowledge of the riches of the Nyasa Protectorate will still continue to increase. The northern region visited by Mr. Whyte proves to have a very close affinity with that explored by the German travellers Bohm, Beichard, and Kaiser south and south-west of Lake Tanganyika, the mammals collected by whom were worked out by Dr. Noack. Thus Mr. Whyte has obtained examples of several characteristic species described from their collections, notably Rhynchocyon relchardl and Gerbillus bohml, both of which are forms quite new to the fauna of Nyasaland. The following is a list of the new species contained in the present collection, those marked with an asterisk having been described iu a previous preliminary communication' to the Society :- Macroscelides brachyrhynchus malosce. Crocldura Uxa. Myosorex sorella. *Funlsclurus luclfer. Graphiurus johnstoni. *Mus nyllcce. *Saccostomus elegans. * Georychus whgtel. *Thryonomys sclaterl. ' Supra, pp. 430-433. See "Abstract of Proceedings"for May 4th, (published May 7th). |