﻿NO. 1 6 NEW RODENTS FROM AFRICA HELLER 1 7 



luteus, pure silky white, without dark patch on chest; skull much 

 smaller than luteus, with smaller bullae and palatine foramina and 

 narrower mesopterygoid fossa; skull wider zygomatically, with 

 greater interorbital width than kenyensis. 



Coloration.— -Median dorsal area broccoli-brown, with slight black 

 lining ; sides of head and body fawn, in contrast to the dark median 

 area ; hind feet and rump mars-brown ; the toes white ; fore feet 

 whitish, with fawn spots; ears broccoli-brown. Underparts pure 

 silky white, in contrast to the fawn of the sides, the hairs everywhere 

 white to the roots. Basal three-fifths of tail broccoli-brown, the 

 terminal two-fifths white. 



Measurements. — Head and body, 330 mm. ; tail, 395 ; hind foot, 

 66; ear, 40. Skull: greatest length, 72.5; condylo-incisive length, 

 66.5 ; basilar length, 59.5 ; zygomatic breadth, 33 ; interorbital con- 

 striction, 10.5; nasals, 30.5 x 9.5; palatilar length, 34.8; diastema, 

 23 ; palatal foramina, 7.2 ; maxillary toothrow, 11.5 ; condylo-incisive 

 length of mandible, 48; coronoid-angular depth of mandible, 23.2. 

 Skull aged, the incisors being much shortened by wear, the points 

 of the lower pair worn down horizontally, the whole of the usual 

 vertical cutting points having been worn away. Three other speci- 

 mens from Mazeras agree with the type in coloration and length of 

 pelage. Named for Mr. Wilfred H. Osgood, to whose work on the 

 mammals of British East Africa the writer is indebted for much 

 assistance. 



THRYONOMYS GREGORIANUS PUSILLUS, new subspecies 



Taita Lesser Cane Rat 



Type from Ndi, Mt. Mbololo, British East Africa; adult female; 

 number 181807, U. S. Nat. Mus. ; collected by Edmund Heller, 

 November 3, 191 1; original number, 4853. 



Characters. — Allied to gregorianus, but decidedly smaller and 

 more grayish in coloration, with very little rusty suffusion; skull 

 without post-orbital notch, the sides of the frontals straight, nasals 

 narrow, maxillary tips projecting far posteriorly into frontals, 

 cheek teeth and palate narrow ; the skull approaches nearer 

 harrisoni, but teeth, palate, and nasals much narrower. 



Coloration. — General dorsal color mixed sepia and tawny, suf- 

 fused with rusty on rump and hind limbs ; dorsal area clothed by 

 two sorts of hair, long wholly sepia ones, and slightly shorter ones, 



