88 EINAR LONNBERG, MAMMALS COLLECTED BY THE SWEDISH ZOOLOGICAL EXPEDITION ETC. 
between a dorsal area and the flanks. Such specimens agree very closely in colour 
with Hruentn’s Xerus dabagala which, I suppose, is only a geographic race of X. 
rulilus as well, and, of course, closely related to this race, if different at all. Dot.- 
MAN states (I. c.) that the skull of his Xerus rufifrons is »similar to that of X. da- 
bagala>, which makes the identity of these two still more plausible. The author 
quoted points out, however, some differences between X. dabagala and X. d. rufifrons 
which ought to be discussed. The first of these is that the back of the head of the 
latter is »slightly darker than rest of dorsal surface and speckled with bright yellow 
and orange-red», while according to Dotuman the head of X. dabagala should be 
»ereyish brown». But the latter colouration of the head of X. dabagala is not men- 
tioned in von HEvuGLIN’s original description, nor displayed in the coloured figure of 
the type.’ »Muzzle and forehead bright orange-red (tan colour n:o 2, ’Répertoire 
de Couleurs’)» — — DoLuMAN writes about X. rufifrons, and then he adds: »The 
orange-rufous tint is much brighter and more vivid than in X. dabagala, where the 
muzzle is more the colour of the flanks». In one of my specimens from Njoro the 
colour of the muzzle and the forehead agrees perfectly with Dottuman’s description 
and the colour-sample quoted, but in the others this is less apparent and the colour 
of the parts mentioned is more brick-red, especially on the forehead, even if the 
colour of the muzzle tends more or less to »orange rufous». In some specimens the 
general colour of the forehead is similar to that of the flanks, although the latter 
are sprinkled with white and therefore look paler. The general ground colour of my 
specimens lies between »Salmon flesh» (Rép. de Couleurs N:o 138, 4) and » Red ochre» 
(l. ec. N:o 332,1). In some specimens it is very close to the first, in some others to 
the latter. This ground colour is modified by the white tips of the hairs. In some 
specimens the colour of the median dorsal area, to different breadth in different 
specimens, has another colour, viz. speckled or grizzled with blackish and yellow. 
An examination of the hairs, which produce the colour of this dorsal area, proves that 
they are coloured according to a different pattern than the salmon flesh — red ochre 
and white-tipped hairs of the flanks of the same specimens. They are ringed in such 
a way that the tip is black, or dark brown then follows an ochre-yellow ring, and 
then again a black or dark brown ring. The dark tip is of different length, often 
quite short and it may then be broken or worn off and missing. 
As these black and yellow-ringed hairs occupy an area of different extension in 
different specimens, and sometimes are absent, or at least mixed with the red ochre 
and white-tipped hairs it appears probable that they are the remains of another 
pelage which is to be shed, and has been fully shed in such specimens with uniform 
red ochre and white-tipped pelage. 
DoLiMAN says that the bright orange-yellow (maize-yellow) »sides of muzzle, 
face and neck» of his X. rufifrons is »strikingly different from the white face and 
neck of X. dabagala>. H®uGLtn says, however, about X. dabagala — — >rostri apice 
lateribusque gule in flavidum vergentibus», and this is also displayed by the coloured 
1 Nov. Act. Acad. Leop. Car. Nat. Cur., Tom XXVIII, p. 4, Tab. 2, fig. 3. 
