ERINACEUS 



131 



incisor. Although occurring wild in southeini 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. 



Erinaceus aLgiuus algirus Duvernoy and Lereboullet. 



1840. Erinaceus algirus Duvernoy and Lereboullet, M6m. Soc. Mus. 



d'Hist. Nat. Strasbourg, in, fasc. 2, p. 4. 

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



Tyjje local iiy. — Oran, Algeria. 



Geographical distribution. — Northern Africa ; also in southern 

 Spain and south-eastern France, 



Diagnosis. — 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. 



Colour. — Furred area buflfy white to base of hairs, except on 

 muzzle, cheeks, inten-amial region, a narrow band along 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 

 dark. Throughout the spiny area the whitish strongly pre- 

 dominates, especially when animal is viewed from in front. 

 Claws light yellowish horn-colour. 



Measurements. — Adult male from Schaf-el-Kab, Morocco 

 (teeth much worn) : head and body, 206 ; tail, 20 ; hind foot, 32. 

 For cranial measurements see Table, p. 132. 



Specimens examined. — Numerous specimens from Northern Africa; also^ 

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

 Elche, Alicante, Spain ; and a still younger specimen from Lecques, Var, 

 France. 



Remarks. — Owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the Spanish 

 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 the North African form 

 it would seem probable that they have been introduced within 

 historic times. The specimen from Elche, though undoubtedly a 

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

 geographical race. The same is even more true of that from Var. 

 The adult from " Andalucia " lacks detailed history. Externally 

 it resembles the African form as compared with E. algirus vagans^ 

 but the skull is small,* essentially as in the Balearic race. 



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

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

 row, 22-0. 



K 2 



