50 XERUS CAPENSIS. 



„sent. Cranium Sc. leucoumhrini cf adult., longit. 58 mill., 

 „lat. in krc, zyg. 31 ; sat angustum , arcu zyg. in hoc 

 „genere singulari, an gusto , parum curvato; rostro conico, 

 „subacuto. Sc. setosus , 9 ex Afr. merid. Cranium long. 59 

 „mill., lat. in are. zyg. 38 (fere li praec.s); latum, arcu 

 „zyg. lato, curvato-patente , rostro brevi, obtuso , lineari; 

 „forma ossium nasi et eet. longe a prioris diversa. . . ." 

 That Sundevall's observation is very exact must be acknow- 

 ledged by every one who takes the trouble of using his 

 eyes and it is indeed very curious and incomprehensible 

 how Gray (Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist. 1867 p. 333) 

 could object to it and finish his very insignificant opposition 

 with the following statement; „the two species may be 

 „distinct; but I am inclined to regard the characters gi- 

 „ven (by Sundevall) as only individual peculiarities , though 

 „my idea may prove incorrect when a large series from 

 „each country can be compared; skulls, however, are as 

 „apt to vary as other parts of the animal, and are only 

 „to be depended on when a series can be examined and 

 „compared." — If skulls and other parts of animals of the 

 same species did vary as a rule in such a remarkable degree 

 as in the case in question , how would it then ever be pos- 

 sible to distinguish any two species from each other? But 

 happily and nothwithstanding Gray's sentence nearly always 

 and especially in this case the skulls of the different species 

 of mammals show more or less important differences, 

 which facilitate their distinction. I need not enter into a 

 detailed discQssion, and I will suffice to remark that the 

 nasalia of Xerus capensis are much broader in front and 

 the jugalia much broader and stouter than iu any other 

 African Squirrel. Moreover on comparison of the measures 

 given above of the skull of Xerus capensis with those of 

 Xerus erythopus and rutilus one must wonder that Gray 

 being acquainted with the observation of Sundevall, has 

 not taken advantage of this beautiful opportunity to create 

 a new genus for the Cape species. 



It seems that up to this day it has remained a fact 



ISTotes Iroiia tlie Xjeyden IVXuseura , Vol. IV. 



