534 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1896. 



is given by Peters as 120 mm., of the tail, 160 mm. These figures, 

 combined with the color ditferences, convince me of the proprietv of 

 sepurating arborarius! from dolicJiurus, and at the same time class- 

 ing the Kiver Darde specimens with the former species. The char- 

 acter of the tail in the alcoholic specimen seems to indicate clearly 

 its use as a prehensile organ. 



40. Lophuromys sikapusi (Temm.). Sikapusi Rat. 



Making allowance for the change of color likely to occur in spirit 

 specimens, there is no doubt that two hispid rats taken by Dr. 

 Smith at Sheikh Mahomet are specifically the same as the animal 

 minutely described by Peters''"* as LasiomyK afer. 



The upper pelage of No. 3,909, a very old female, is like that of 

 the younger one (No. 3,894, $ ), a grizzled, black, reddish-brown, 

 the under parts light ochraceous sharply defined against dark color 

 of sides. The tail of the older specimen is wanting ; in the other 

 one it is deep black above and rusty beloAv. The basal half of up- 

 per pelage is colored like belly, the belly hairs being unicolor. The 

 older specimen is very large, the head and body being 130 mm. long. 



The skull, compared with Peters' illustration (/. c), differs in the 

 shape of the pterygoid fossa which, in our examples, is widest at the 

 postpalatal notch and contracts at the pterygoid processes, widening 

 again in a vase-shaped outline as viewed from above. 



The semi-spinous character of the pelage in this species is inter- 

 mediate between that of Mus and Acomys. 



41. Golunda reichardi (Xoack). Reichard's Bush Rat. 



Six fine skins and one specimen in alcohol, of a " grass or bush 

 rat," were taken at Sheikh Mahomet. They answer Noack's descrip- 

 tion of reichardi^-'* as contrasted with that of Peters for " PeJomys 

 fallax," so well that I cannot hesitate to assign them to the former 

 and confirm the correctness of Noack's separation of the two. The 

 entire absence of a sulcus from the incisors of any of our specimens 

 instantly distinguishes them from fallax. The black dorsal streak 

 is plain in some, in others nearly absent. 



The general body color may be said to be ochraceous to tawny 

 brown, grizzled coarsely with black. Sides of nose and eye-ring 

 pure ochraceous. 



A note on one of the labels states this rat " makes a prehensile 

 [sic] nest in bush ; habitat in thick grass." 



19 Monatsb. Akad. Berl., 1S66, p. 409. 

 »«Zool. Jahrb., 18S7, p. 235. 



