liRINACEUS 131 



incisor. Although occurring wild in southern Spain, on the 

 Balearic Islands, and in south-eastern France, it seems not 

 improbable that the animal owes its presence in Europe to the 

 agency of man. 



Ekixackus algirus AL(iiKus Duvernoy and LerebouUet. 



1840. Erinaceus algirus Duvernoy and LerebouJlet, M6m Soc Mus 



Q Hist. Nat. Strasbourg, iii, fasc. 2, p. 4. 

 1898. Erinaceus algirus de Winton, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1897, p. 955. 



Type locality. — Oran, Algeria. 



Geographical distribution.— 'i^orthern Africa ; also in .southern 

 Spain and south-eastern France. 



J>ia(/Mos/s.— Condylobasal length of skull in individuals with 

 distinctly worn teeth 57 to 59 mm. ; underparts dusky through- 

 out or with at least an evident dark wash in interramial and 

 intercrural regions. 



CoZor«»-.— Furred area buffy white to base of hairs, except on 

 muzzle, cheeks, interramial region, a narrow band aloncr sides 

 bordering quills and spreading posteriorly to cover tail hind 

 legs and intercrural region, all of which are a dark brown very 

 nearly the bister of Ridgway. Feet a lighter shade of the' same 

 brown. Occasionally the brown suffusion extends over most of 

 ventral surface. Quills dull horn-colour, each with a whitish 

 sub-terminal area about 7 mm. in length, the extreme tip usually 

 (ark. Throughout the spiny area the whitish strongly pre- 

 dominates, especially when animal is viewed from in front 

 Claws light yellowish horn-colour. 



Measurement.s.~Adult male from Schaf-el-Kab, Morocco 

 (teeth much worn) : head and body, 206 ; tail, 2(i ; hind foot 32 

 For cranial measurements see Table, p. 1.32. ' 



Sp('ci77iens examined.— Nnmeious specimens from Northern Africa • also- 

 an adult from " Andalucia," Spain; a young, less than half grown, from 

 h.lche, Alicante, Spain ; and a still younger .specimen from Lecques, Var 



Bcmarks.— Owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the Hpani.sh 

 and French material the status of the Continental European 

 hedgehogs of the Erinaceus algirus group is at present doubtful 

 Should they prove to be identical with tlie North African form 

 It would seem probable that they have been introduced within 

 historic times. The specimen from Elche, though undoubtediv a 

 wild-bred animal, is too young to be positively determined as' to 

 geographical race. The same is even raoi-e true of that from Var 

 The adult from " Andalucia " lacks detailed history. Externally 

 it resembles the African form as compared with E. ah/irns vaqans 

 but the skull is small,* es.sentially as in the Balearic" race. " 



* Coudylolmsal length, 53-8; zygomatic breadth, 32-0; least inter- 

 orbital^breadth, 14-8 ; mandible, 41 -2 ; upper tooth-row, 27-0; lower tooth- 



