892 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY , Vol. XIX. 



darkened by appearance at surface of blackish bases of hairs. Re- 

 mainder of pelage and entire tail glossy blue black, with the usual 

 reddish brown cast below the surface. " 



Skull. — As in melanopepla, " biilloe narrower and more elevated 

 above surface of basi-occipital. " 



Dimensions. — Head and body 374 : tail 451 : hindfoot 76. Skull: 

 greatest length, 72 ; basilar length, .56 ; zygomatic breadth, 4.5; nasals, 

 25 ; interorbital breadth, 26 : upper molar series, 14. 



Synonymy. — As an island form Mr, Miller ranked this as a distinct 

 species, but in my opinion it is in every way more convenient to treat 

 it as a geographical race of the very similar melanopepla. 



Distribution. — Ananibas Islands, South China Sea. 



12. Ratufa melanopepla anpusticeps, Mill. 



IPOl. Ratvfa angusticeps. Miller. Proc, Wash. Ac. Sc. Ill, p. 130. 



The type specimen, the only one known, is in the Washington 

 Museum. 1 borrow the following details from Miller's original 

 description. 



Colour. — " Precisely like that of Ratufa anamhoe and R. melano- 

 peplaJ' 



Skull. — " Immediately recognisable by its general narrowness, but 

 particularly in the region of the anterior zygomatic roots. Audital 

 bulloe narrower and more elongate than in R. melanopepla and more 

 elevated above the basi-occipital. Lateral processes of basi-occipital 

 obsolete." 



Dimensions. — Head and body, 342 ; tail, 406 : hindfoot, 74. 

 Skull : greatest length, 68*6 ; basilar length, 52 : zygomatic breadth, 

 41; nasals, 22; diastema, 15*6; interorbital breadth, 27; upper 

 molar series, 14. 



Synonymy, — I prefer to treat this form as a sub-species of melano- 

 pepla. 



Distribution. — Lingung Island, Natuna Archipelago. The oidy 

 individual yet found so far South. 



] 3. Ratufa melanopepla fretensis^ Thos. & Wrough. 



1909. Ratufa melanopepla fretensis^ Thomas and Wroughton, 

 A. M. N. H. p. 535. 



Colour. — As in melav.opepla, but the pale portions markedly darker 



