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Show 1900.] MAMMALS FROM MOUNT KENYA. 177 forehead deep rufous brown ; area round eyes blackish. Ears of medium size, the hairs of their backs dark brown, those on the edges and inner surface buffy yellow; a blackish patch on the sides of the neck just below the ears, owing to the black ends to the hairs at this point. Under surface buffy yellow ; on the chin and throat the hairs are only tipped with this colour, but on the chest and belly they are buffy to their bases. Upper surface of hands and feet grizzled yellowish brown ; inner sides of limbs like belly. Skull stout and heavy, with a broad flat shield-like frontal region. On the whole it is closely similar to that of P. abyssinica1, though averaging a little larger. Interparietal sutures persistent. Temporal fossa? extending to the hinder end of the skull. Diastema 10 to 12 m m . in length. Molars hyp^sodont, as usual in this section of the genus. Dimensions of the type, an adult male, measured in skin and therefore only approximate :-Head and body 565 mm.; hind foot 70. Skull (stage viii.): basal length 94; greatest breadth 58-5 ; nasals 30 x 25 ; intertemporal breadth 27*5 ; length of • upper tooth-series (p.1 to m.3) 4 1; greatest breadth of m.1 7*7; height of crown of in.3 (in another, younger specimen) 7'9 ; length of p.x (of another specimen) 3*2. Type. Male. B.M. No. 0.2.1.35. Collected Sept. 3, 1899. This fine Dassy is clearly a mountain representative of the P.jaclcsoni of Kikuyu, from which it differs by its larger size, longer form, more abundant underfur, paler colour, and the greater distinctness of the post-auricular black spot. During his famous East African expedition of 1893, Dr. J. W . Gregory picked up in Hohnel Valley, 12,000 ft., a bleached skull of this species, but without the skin it was impossible to determine it. It was, however, provisionally referred to the Abyssinian P. shoana, a species of the black-backed section-a fact which shows how closely these species, so readily distinguishable externally, resemble each other in their cranial characters. In the good series of skulls obtained by Mr. Mackinder, four males and three females (to which may be added the male skull brought home by Dr. Gregory), there is a decided difference between the sexes in the size of the skull, all the male skulls being longer, broader, and more heavily built thau the female ones. The basal lengths are as follows:- d 94 mm., 92-5, 90-5, 90, S7; $,84, SI-5, 74 (young). The members of this group being essentially Bock-Dassies, not occurring iu forest country, it is probable that the Kenya species will prove to be isolated by the zone of forest which surrounds the mountains at about 8000-10,000 ft. Besides Mr. Jackson's specimens from Ravine Station, no member of tbe group has been found in any other part of East Africa, nor are they known further to the south. > Cf. Monograph, P. Z. S. 1892, p. 64. PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1900, No. XII. 12 |