254 PTEROPUS RAYXERI. 



The amount of palo (silvery white, cream-buff}', or pale buff}) 

 sprinkling of the fur of the head is individually variable ; in one 

 specimen ( $ irani. al. ; 88.1.5.4) the pale hairs are so much in 

 excess of the dark ones as to make the whole of the face, including 

 the chin, cream-buffy, strongly contrasting with the mantle, back, 

 and underparts. 



ISe.vwil differentiation. — Males differ from females in having 

 a tuft of rich orange-buff glandular hairs on each side of the neck, 

 nearly concealed by the surrounding darker fur. Tlie tuft ia 

 present also in immature males, but absent in three females 

 examined. 



Measurements. On pp. 256, 257. 



Specimens examined. The British Museum material. 



Range. Guadalcanar, E. Solomon Islands. 



Coti/pes in collection. 



History in lilerature. — Gray's Pt. rai/neri (1870, I. s. c.) was based 

 primarily on two adult skins collected by J. MacGillivray and F. M. 

 Rayner in Guadalcanal*. These two specimens (described by Gray 

 as " male '' and " female," but in fact both of tliem females) must 

 therefore be taken as cotypes of Pt. rai/neri, and Guadalcanar as the 

 type locality of the species. Two immature specimens, obtained by 

 MacGillivray and Rayner in San Christoval, and described by Gray 

 (l. s. c.) as the "young" oi Pt. rai/neri, are a distinct species, 

 Pt. cognaius (antea, p. 251). — The cotypes of Pt. rciyneri (and an 

 odd skull in the British Museum, probably also dating from 

 MacGillivray or Rayner) remained for many years the only speci- 

 mens known, until in 1887 C. M. Woodford collected a few 

 examples in Aola, Guadalcanar, three of which are now in the 

 British Museum, one in the Dresden Museum. So far, these are the 

 only specimens on record (February, 1909). 



Remarlcs. — Externally this species is readily distinguished from 

 Pt. cognatus by its bright-coloured rump. In specimens which 

 have this character strongly pronounced, the upperside is strikingly 

 tricoloured: mantle some shade of russet, back seal-brown, rump 

 buffy clay, the rump being decidedly brighter than the mantle, and 

 the contrast between rump and back therefore greater than between 

 mantle and back ; this tricoloured pattern of the upperside is 

 found again in Pt. rubianns (New Georgia group), Pt. lavcllanus 

 (Vella Lavella), Pt. grandis (Bougainville group), and Pt. chrgso- 

 proctus (Moluccas), but in no other known species of the genus. 



a. Imm. skull. Not reg. 



b. 5 ad. sk. ; Guadalcanar, Solomon Museum of Economic 55.11.7.7. 



skull. Is.; Dec. 1845 (./. Geology [P.]. 



MacGillivra!/). 



c. $ad. sk. ; Guadalcanar; Dec. Lords of the Acliuiralty 56.7.7.4. 



skull. 1854 {Di: F. M. [P.]. 



Rayner). (b, o: coft/pes of speaies.) 



il-f. S iram., S Aola.'Guadalcariar. C. M. Woodford, Esq. 88.1.5.2-4. 



ad., 2 [C.]. 

 imm., al. ; 



skull oT C. ;. ■ . ,. , 1 > . .1 •.. r : . i 



