KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 48. N:0 5. 109 
Hystrix galeata somalensis n. subsp. 
A couple of years ago I had the opportunity of studying with the kind per- 
mission of my friend OLDFIELD THomas the material of Porcupines in British Museum 
Nat. Hist. I found then among other things that in Somaliland is to be found a 
Porcupine which is much smaller than H. galeata of the surrounding countries, Bri- 
tish East Africa, Abyssinia, and Eritrea. This small Somali Porcupine is represented 
in British Museum by two specimens both of which are old viz. a male (n:o 6, 5, 
4, 9) and a female (n:o 6, 5, 4, 10) from Burao, 
The measurements of these specimens are as follows: 
mim. mim. 
SERIOUATAD COUR ein, et cas 5 Bh es ps) oe ends ss eae rr a F 125 132 
Distance from occipital crest to tip of premaxillary ..........4.4. 138 149 
SRRIORRECBTICGH TUPRUMNY 6g et ng eRe A eS bs ise iw Fe tas eum sioe Ty es 33 32 
Frontal» Mi ae RSE ea BR I ie sie a a [Feiegg  E 96 
Nasal » SVs Gee ee UP an eee alee CRANE ee. SB, ; 85 87 
| Combined breadth of nasals at posterior end of nasopremaxillary suture . . . 56 63 
» > > » » anterior » » » » Sig rAd 35 | 38 
| Width across postorbital processes. . 2 2 6 6 se eee tt ete te ee es 61 | 68 
These measurements prove that, taken as a whole, the skull of the Somali Por- 
cupine even when fullgrown and old is smaller than the smallest male and semiadult 
skulls of H. galeata, and it thus deserves to be regarded as a separate race. 
In the thornbush country north of Guaso Nyiri where the fauna also in many 
other respects resembles that of Somaliland proper, I was fortunate enough to obtain 
a Poreupine which our native guide speared not far from the waterplace called 
Njoro, situated about 1° N. lat. This was an adult but not old female in which 
the last molar is in use but not much worn. The premolar has not yet been changed. 
Although the posterior portion of the skull has been broken by the spear it is quite 
clear that this specimen belongs to the same race as those from Burao in British 
museum, as the following measurements indicate. 
Length of nasals mesially. . . ... . 1 ae xn] 83 eaie 
Combined breadth of nasals at posterior end - Gaadprenatillary suture . 54 » 
> > > > >» anterior » » > > . 34,5 » 
The length of the nasals is thus in all these three specimens measured shorter 
than the minimum in any adult H. galeata. The combined posterior width of the 
nasals lies within the limits of variation for H. galeata, but the combined breadth of 
the same bones anteriorly is smaller than in the species mentioned. It approaches 
by this H. africw-australis to some degree without, however, reaching the same but 
