191 Mr. G. Dollman on the African Shrews 



Group 21 (nana). 



Size small or very small. Colour above greyish or cinnamon, below 

 greyish or white. Fur very short. Skulls exceptionally Hat. 

 Second and third upper unicuspids about ec[ual in size. 



(Ill) Crocidura nana. Dobs. 



Crocidiira nana, Dobson, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (6) vol. v. p. 22o 

 (1890). 



A very small slatj-brown coloured species, with a very 

 flat skull. 



Size considerably less than in the bicolor group. Fur 

 fairly shorty hairs of back measuring 3-4 mm. in length. 



Colour of dorsal surface slaty brown (" neutral grey " 

 washed with "Front's brown''), flanks equally dark, the 

 brownish-grey tint passing fairly abruptly into the greyish 

 white of the ventral surface ; belly rather Avhiter than in the 

 following race. Backs of hands and feet white. Tail finely 

 haired, dull brown above, white below ; bristle-hairs nume- 

 rous, whitish in colour. 



Skull very small and with the brain-case markedly flat- 

 tened, much more so than in any of the bicolor group ; 

 maxillary region rather narrow. Teeth very small, third 

 upper unicuspid a little broader than second. 



Dimensions of the type (from dried skin) : — 



Head and body 40 mm. ; tail 30; hind foot 8'5. 



Skull of specimen from Eyk, Somalilaud (the type-skull 

 is too badly broken to be of any use for measuring pur- 

 poses) : — 



Condylo-incisive length 16; greatest breadth 7; least 

 interorbital breadth 3*2 ; length of palate Q'7 ; postpalatal 

 length 7'4; greatest maxillary breadth 4'6 ; median depth 

 of brain-case 3"2 ; length of upper tooth-row 6'8. 



Hab. Dollo, Somalilaud. 



Type. Adult. B.M. no. 90. 3. 6. 1. 



In the Collection there are two further specimens of this 

 minute Somali shrew, both exactly like the type in general 

 colour and dimensions. 



The small size, greyish-brown upper parts, whitish belly, 

 and very small flat skull readily distinguish nana from all 

 the preceding species. 



