28 BULLETIN 99, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



1914. Dipodillus luteus Dollman, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 14, p. 

 489. December. (Southern Guaso Nyiro, Nyanza Province, British 

 East Africa; type in British Museum.) 



Specimens. — Nine, including three in alcohol, as foUows: 



British East Afeica: Southern Guaso Nyiro River (Loring, 

 Heller, Mearns). 



The Southern Guaso Nyiro form of the pygmy gerbil is closely 

 related to true harwoodi of Naivasha. It is distinguished only by 

 its paler and brighter color.^ 



Mearns records the color of tlie iris in this animal as dark brown. 



Genus TATERILLUS Thomas, 



1910. Taterillas Thomas, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 8, vol. 6, p. 222. August. 

 (T. einini.) 



Although several forms of gerbils of the genus Taterillus have been 

 recorded from British East Africa northward into Sudan, only one 

 species was obtained by the Smithsonian African Expedition and no 

 other specimens haA^e ever reached the museum from any source. 



TATERILLUS EMINI (Thomas). 



1892. Gerbillns emini Thomas, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 6, vol. 9, p. 78. 



January. (Wadelai, Uganda; type in British Museum.) 

 1910. Tatera enmii Roosevelt, African Game Trails, Amer. ed., p. 472; Ijondon 



ed., p. 484. 



Specimens.— Five, from localities as follows: 



Lado: Rhino Camp, 1 (Loring). 



Uganda: Gondokoro, 4, including 1 in alcohol (Loring). 



Genus TATERA Latasle. 



1882. Tatera Lataste, Le Naturaliste, vol. 4, p. 126. (T. indicus.) 



1897. Gerbilliscus Thomas, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, p. 433. (T. bohmi.) [Valid 



as a subgenus.] 

 1917. Taferona Wroughton, Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc, vol. 25, No. 1, p. 40. 



(T.afra.) 



Two well marked subgenera of gerbils referable to Tatera are found 

 in East Africa. Typical Tatfra is widely distributed and is abund- 

 antly represented in the museum collection. The second subgenus 

 Gerbilliscus, is represented in the collection by only a single form. 

 This is the large wliite-tailed gerbil of the holimi group which is abund- 

 ant in the Southern Guaso Nyiro region of British East Africa, and 

 which was described by Heller as Tatera varia. 



In describing the genus Taterona, Wroughton has separated the 

 species usually referred to Tatera Lataste into two groups, the African 

 forms all going into his new genus while Tatera is restricted to Asia. 

 The characters used seem to be of too httle value to justify such a 

 proceeding; of those mentioned, the shape of the lateral parietal 



> Not "duller," as stated by Dollman in the original description. 



