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Show 1905.] p r o m THE WAKKERSTROOM DISTRICT, TRANSVAAL. 131 ( Tokai Retreat and Table Mountains), Zuurbron and Wakkerstroom of the present series, and at Sibudeni and Umvolosi in Zululand, where it is found side by side with the larger species next to be described. None of the collections made in the central parts of the Colony have contained any Myosorex, so that the genus would seem to be confined to the coast districts from Little Namaqualand round to Zululand, and corresponding to the West Cape and East Cape subregions of Dr. Matschie's zoological subdivision of Africa. Sundevall's " Sorex cafer" * is clearly M. varius, as is shown by its short tail, and by some measurements of the typical skull kindly furnished us by Dr. Einar Lonnberg. " Zulu name in Transvaal £ Ngoso.' Not common on the high veldt, but very plentiful on the low ground under fallen trees and in the thick vegetation near the bush. Both nocturnal and diurnal."- C. H. B. G. 8. M yosorex tenuis, sp. n. $ . 773. Zuurbron. Type of species. This specimen being an isolated one, we have first described an allied species on a series obtained later by Mr. Grant in Zululand, as follows:- M yosorex sclateri Thos. & Schw. Myosorex sclateri, Thos. & Schw. Abstr. P. Z. S. No. 15, p. 10, Feb.'28, 1905. Size considerably larger than in M. varius and tail longer. General colour much darker, a warm dark bistre-brown, very different to the grey of M. varius; approaching black in some specimens. Under surface but little lighter than upper. Upper side of hands and feet brown. Tail longer than in M. varius, its hairs closely adpressed and not forming a pencil at the tip, so that it looks to the naked eye much less hairy than in the allied species; its colour uniformly brown above and below, or the lower side very inconspicuously lighter. Skull decidedly larger than in M. varius; the teeth similar except that i1 is longer, its main cusp surpassing considerably in downward projection the tip of i2, while in M. varius it is barely longer than that tootli. [This character is not always available for distinguishing the species, partly owing to the influence of sex, the male having generally a longer i1 than the female, and partly to age, the tooth being occasionally so worn down as to be useless for the purpose.] Dimensions of the type (measured in the flesh):- Head and body 99 mm.; tail 53 ; hind foot 16 ; ear 10-5. Skull-back of condyle to front face of i1 25‘2 ; basal length 22 ; * (Efv. K. Vet.-Ak. Forli. 1846, p. 119. y* |
