SYCONTCTERIS CRASSA. 



not been observed. A small m" and m^ is always present. Hub. 

 The whole area inhabited by the genus, except Queensland and 

 Woodlark Is. 



In twenty-four specimens examined (fifteen papuana, two hey- 

 ensis, one Jinschi, four crassa, two major ; including the types of all) 

 the membranes are inserted on the hind limbs as tabulated below 

 (added, S. australis and naias for comparison ; an asterisk indi- 

 cates that the specimen is a type, or the type included in the 

 number) ; that the variation in this respect is individual rather 

 than racial or specific is, it may be concluded from the table, scarcely 

 open to doubt : — 



Membranes inserted : — 



between 3rd and on 4tb toe between 4tb and on 5th toe 



4th toe (end of metatarsal otb toe (end of metatarsal 



''■■'■ (near end of or base of (near end of cr base of 



metatarsals). first phalanx). metatarsals). first phalanx). 



papumm ... 2 7* 1 5 



keyeiisis ... ... 2* 



finschi ... 1* 



crassa ... 1 3* 



major ... ... 1* 1 



australis ... ... 1* 



7iaias ... 1* 



Colour. — S. c. major ( cJ ad. skin, Ceram, 7.1.1.272): General 

 colour of back cinnamon wood-brown, shading into a darker tinge 

 of brown on shoulders, laterally along membranes, and on occiput 

 and crown ; individual hairs light wood-brown at base with short 

 cinnamon or darker brown tips. Underparts wood-brown, rather 

 thickly mixed with light greyish hairs on centre of throat, breast, 

 and belly. 



Neither the subspecies nor the sexes differ appreciably from each 

 other in colour. In the whole series of tS. crassa (irrespective of 

 subspecies and sex) the general aspect of the colour as well as the 

 extent of individual variation is very nearly the same as in Macro- 

 glossus minimus (pp. 75.5-756) : Back varying from russet Front's 

 brown with a slight tinge of fawn (darkest extreme), through 

 various paler tinges of brown, to dull wood-brown (lightest ex- 

 treme) ; underparts always more or less conspicuously mixed with 

 greyish on centre of breast and belly, as a rule also on centre of 

 throat. The darker brown median longitudinal stripe from crown 

 to nape of neck nearly always traceable in Macroglossus is in 

 Syconycteris absent or represented only by an ill-defined darker 

 tinge on occiput. 



Skins of young specimens not seen. 



Subspecies. — The five subspecies of S. crassa recognized in this 

 Catalogue differ from each other only in general size or in the 

 length of the tooth-rows. Specimens from the central region of 

 the area covered by the species, viz. New Guinea with the Aru 

 Islands (impunna), are of medium size ; those from the Key Islands 



