Descriptive List of the Rodents of South Africa 215 



being provided with cheek pouches, in this resembling Cricetus, 

 containing the Hamsters of the northern part of the Old World. 

 The genus is practically confined to South Africa, as the only other 

 species described, besides those mentioned below, is S. elegdns from 

 the Nyika plateau in North Nyassaland. 



SACCOSTOMUS CAMPESTEIS, THE POUCHED EAT. 



Saccostomus campestris, PETEES, M. B. Akad. Berlin, p. 258 

 (1846) ; DE WINTON, Ann. Mag. N. H. (7), i., p. 6 (1898). 



Saccostomus lapidarius, PETEBS, Reise Mozamb. Saugeth., p. 167, 

 pi. xxxiv., fig. 3, pi. xxxv., fig. 12, 1852 ; BOCAGE, Jorn. Sci. Lisb. 

 (2), v., p. 9 (1890) [habits] ; LORENTZ, Ann. kk. Hofmus. Wien, 

 ix. notiz. p. 65 (1894) [Zambesia] . 



Description. Form somewhat stout, the head especially being 

 thick and broad ; general colour above and on the sides dark drab 

 brown, the basal portion of the fur slaty, the tips chiefly pale brown 

 but with many black ones intermingled, darkest along the middle of 

 the back ; below pure white with no slaty bases to the fur, the line 

 of demarcation between the colours very distinct ; whiskers fine and 

 mostly white ; ears of moderate size, rounded, with a few brown 

 hairs only, about -60 inches in length ; limbs rather short ; hands 

 and feet white with pads and claws as in 31 us, the proximal tarsal 

 pad rounded ; tail less than half the length of the head and body 

 not scaly, with traces of the rings towards the base, covered with 

 comparatively long rather outstanding hairs, dark above light below ; 

 10 mammae 3 pairs pectoral, 2 pairs inguinal ; in the specimen 

 examined there was no paler spot behind the ears as described by 

 Peters. 



The middle upper molar does not bear the extra anterior outer 

 cusp present in S. mashonae. 



Dimensions (from a spirit-preserved specimen). Head and body 

 5-0 ; tail 1-70; hind foot -65; from ear-opening to nose-tip 1'30 ; 

 skull length 1-30, breadth -70 ; upper cheek teeth -20. 



Distribution. This species was originally described from the 

 Zambesi valley by Peters ; it is also recorded from Nyassaland, 

 Angola, and Damaraland, while there are specimens in the South 

 African Museum which seem to be referable to this species from the 

 Albany, Griqualand West, and the Bedford districts of the Colony, 

 and from Zululand ; it is, therefore, fairly widely distributed over 

 the south-eastern parts of Africa. 



