218 Annals of the South African Museum. 



Dimensions. Head and body 3-25 ; tail 3-63 ; hind foot -70 ; 

 skull length TO, breadth -50; upper molars -20. 



Distribution. The type was obtained by Mr. Selous on his 

 farm near Bulawayo ; it has since been recorded from Nyassaland ; 

 there are no specimens in the collections of the South African 

 Museum. 



GEN. DASYMYS. 



Dasymys, PETEES, M. B. Akad. Berlin, p. 12 (1875). Type D. 

 incomtus. 



Mouse-like animals with moderate, somewhat hairy ears and 

 rather coarse fur, tail moderate, scaly arid sparsely haired ; skull 

 somewhat intermediate between that of Gerbillus and Mus; lower 

 branch of the zygomatic process produced forwards in hooked shape ; 

 incisors plain, front molars the longest, the posterior laminae of the 

 first and anterior laminae of the second and third upper molars large 

 and complicated. 



DASYMYS INCOMTUS. 



Mus incomtus, SUNDEVALL, Oefvers. Akad. Forh. Stockholm (1846), 

 p. 120 (1847). 



Dasymys gucinzii, PETEES, M. B. Akad. Berlin, p. 12, pis. i., ii. 

 (1875). 



Dasymys incomtus fuse us, DE WINTON, Proc. Zool. Soc., p. 804 

 (1896). 



Description. General colour brown ; darkest on the middle of the 

 back, paler on the sides, below grey, feet dark ; ears rounded, fairly 

 clothed with hairs ; feet with the pads and claws as in Mus, tail 

 shorter than the head and body, with scaly rings about 28 to the 

 inch, bedecked with a few scanty short bristles. 



Geographical race. A. dark variety is described by de Wiiiton from 

 Mashonaland resembling the type in size and general characters, 

 but differing in colour, being a uniform sooty black with only slight 

 yellow grizzling ; the upper incisors are deep orange-red, the lower 

 brownish honey coloured. 



Dimensions (of the type). Head and body 6 - 25 ; tail 5'83 ; hind 

 foot 1-37. Of the dark variety taken from the flesh : head and body 

 6.25; tail 5'75 ; hind foot 1-25; skull length 1-45, breadth -79; 

 upper molars 28. 



