EXTERNAL CHARACTERS. 257 



prevailingly white, and almost unworn, the longest reaching 44 to 47 mm. on 

 the rump. The coarse brown hair wMch covers the upper part of the body 

 rather thickly, has the appearance of being much worn and broken allowing 

 the spines to project nearly their entire length, with the result that the animal 

 appears much more spiny than those in which the hair is unworn and covers the 

 bases of the spines. 



Two specimens from Sorong, New Guinea (M. C. Z. 7,009, 7,010), presented 

 by Dr. Thomas Barbour, agree in having the hair of the bodj' nearly coal-blark, 

 with the bases more or less brownish. The larger spines vary from dark hnrn 

 color to blackish, the smaller ones are entirely black save for a few very small 

 spines on the occiput which are white. The venter is nearly free from spines. 



It seems evident from a study of the material in the collection of the Mu- 

 seum, that the characters claimed for the races nigroaculeata and goodfellowi 

 are indi^'idual or the result of* age and wear. Moreover no geographical limits 

 are established for these variations. So, unless other and more distinctive 

 characters can be found, it seems unnecessary to consider these as valid races. 



With regard to the race villosissvna there seems also room for much doubt. 

 The original specimen described by Dubois (1884) appears from its measure- 

 ments to have been immature, which would account for its short and nearly 

 straight rostrum. The chief character claimed for it is the long and woolly 

 hair, completely hiding the spines except on the sides of the neck and in the 

 caudal region. It appears, however, that the longest spines did not exceed 

 19 mm., which is about half the length of those of adult hruijnii. 



The collection of the Museum contains a Proechidna from Mt. Arfak, 

 M. C. Z. 7,397, the type locality of hruijnii, that agrees with the description 

 of inllosissima in ha\'ing the pelage notablj^ thick and woolly. The spines, 

 however, are slightly longer than described for lillosissima (21 to 24 mm.) and 

 although most prominent on the shoulders and rump, project slightly above 

 the hairy coat. They are black, or black with Ught tips, instead of white as 

 described. The skull shows the specimen to be very immature, and it is un- 

 doubtedly the youngest of the eight skuUs examined. In almost every respect 

 it is identical with immature skulls of hruijnii, but differs from all those studied 

 in that tlie anterolateral terminations of the large interparietal are each in 

 contact with one of the nasals. In the four other specimens of hruijnii in which 

 these bones are still traceable, the interparietal does not abut against the 

 nasals, although in two cases, the distance separating the two bones is not over 

 5 mm. Probably therefore this character is merely individual. Rothschild 



