Descriptive Lint of tlie Rodents of SoutJi Africa. 225 



nating along the middle of the back, the latter on the sides ; tip of 

 the snout somewhat pale, not white, ears very large, about -9 in. by 

 '75, darker towards the margin, covered with thin greyish hairs ; 

 limbs short and slender, hands and feet white above, the claws 

 almost concealed by the long white hairs, pads as in the other 

 species ; tarsus with a very narrow naked line almost concealed by 

 the long white hairs ; tail short, obscurely ringed, covered with a 

 thick coating of hairs, white above and below. 



Dimensions (from an old stuffed specimen). Head and body 7*0 ; 

 tail broken about 2-0; hind foot 1-0; from ear-opening to nose-tip 

 1-40 ; skull length about 1-45, breadth -72 ; upper cheek teeth -25. 



Distribution. The single specimen from which the above account 

 is taken was obtained some years ago on the Cape Flats, and is now 

 in the South African Museum. Possibly it may turn out to be an 

 undescribed species. 



FAMILY BATHYEKGIDAE. 



GEN. BATHYERGUS. 



Bathyergus, ILLIGER, Prodr. Syst. Mam., p. 86 (1811). Type 

 -B. maritimus. 



Burrowing rodents with small eyes, no ear conch, and the toes of 

 the fore feet with specially long claws, of which that of the second 

 digit is considerably the longest ; hind foot with the third toe the 

 longest. 



Skull massive with an almost straight upper profile and a small 

 sub-circular antorbital foramen. 



Dentition. i. 1/1 ; c. 0/0 ; p.m. 1/1 ; HI. 3/3 = 20 ; upper incisors 

 large, broad, and grooved, lower incisors also large but smooth ; 

 molars simple with re-entering folds in youth only. 



Only the single species below described is known. 



BATHYERGUS MARITIMUS, THE SAND MOLE. 



Mus maritimus, GMELIN, Linn. Syst. Nat. ; p. 140 (1788). 



Mus suillus, SCHREBER, Saugeth., iv., p. 715, pi. cciv. B (1792). 



Georychus maritimus, A. SMITH, Descr. Cat. S. Afr. Mus., p. 28 

 (1826). 



Bathyergus maritimus, SMUTS, Enum. Mam. Cap., p. 48 (1832) ; 

 A. SMITH, S. Afr. Quart. Journ., ii., p. 170 (1834) ; LAYARD, Cat. 

 Mam. S. Afr. Mus., p. 55 (1862). 



