104 PTEROPUS HlTOllEr-ANrs, 



races, the contrast between the pale (bufFy) niautlo and head and 

 brownish back is considerable ; passing from New Guinea and the 

 Moluccas westward, the colour becomes darker, partly through a 

 darkening of the colour itself, partly through a more or less exten- 

 sive clouding with chestnut or maroon-chestnut or even chestnut 

 seal-brown. While in the eastern races the mantle and head are 

 much lighter than the back, this contrast becomes, through 

 darkening of the former, much less striking in the central and 

 western races ; and in the generally silvery-backed races {canus, 

 lepidus) the contrast is reversed, the hazel or chestnut or blackish- 

 chestnut mantle being much darker than the light silvery grey 

 back. 



(4) Phases : — («) Through partial or almost complete suppression 

 of all bright colours, as well as of the greyish admixture (if 

 normally present in the race), the colour, in certain individuals, 

 becomes approximately blackish above and below, though generally 

 some trace of the normal brigliter colour (darkened to chestnut 

 seal-brown) is observable on the mantle and head, sometimes also on 

 the centre of the breast. This " blackish " phase is not rare in all 

 western and central races, which in this phase are entirely indis- 

 tinguishable from each other; it appears to be absent in the 

 extreme eastern, light-coloured races {hi/p<mielanu,s, luteus). — 

 (6) A phase characterized by grizzled grey-and-blackish (dark 

 " hair-brown ") head, back, rump, Hanks, and sides of breast and 

 belly occurs in some western races (observed in (/em inorian, enganus, 

 canns, and annectens, but probably occurring in all western and 

 central races). It seems to be due in some cases to an extension 

 of the greyish sjuinkling (of normal occurrence on back and rump) 

 to head. Hanks, and sides of breast and belly, while in other cases 

 it appears to be a blackish jihase moditied by heavy sprinkling 

 ■with greyish. 



Key to the Subspecies of Pteropus hypomelanus. 



a. Crown and sides of head generally similar in 

 colour to hack : blackish thickly mixed with 

 greyish-white hairs, produciug the general 

 effect of ji very dark shade of hair-brown. 

 (Individuals occur with back and head more 

 or less suffused with russet or wood-brown.) 

 * a'. Mantle chestnut more or less clouded with 

 ■■ seal-brown, rarely as bright as cinnamon- 



rufous. Size normal : forearm 134-137 mm. [p. 106. 



(Mergui Archipelago) Ft. h. c/eminoruni, 



b' . Mantle much lighter ; varying fi'om bright 

 hazel to almost ochraceous-buff. Aver- 

 aging smaller : forearm 121-133'o mm. [p. 107. 



(Engano) Ft. h. evf/annx, 



h. Crown and sides of head, in the ordinary phase, 

 similar to or paler than mantle, varying from 

 deep chestnut through several shades of 

 ochra,ceous to almost cream-huff. (In some 



