On some Pteropine Bats. 387 



Then the extreme uniformity of the bone in Sciurus vul- 

 garis^ the American Sciuri, and Reithrosciurus. 



The absence of compound-baculum forms from Africa, and 

 their dominance in the Oriental region, where, a})art from 

 Reithrosciurus, only Ratufa and Funamhulus liave simple 

 ones. 



The resemblance of the baculum of Ratufa to that of the 

 African Proto,verus, and the possibility that there is some 

 special relationship between the giant squirrels of Asia and 

 West A.frica. 



The development of the comi)ound bacula along two lines, 

 to one or other o£ which nearly all forms may be readily 

 assigned. Thus the bacula of Tamiops, Dremomys, Lariscus, 

 and Nannosciurus are all absolutely of the Tomeutes type, 

 while the many species of Callosciurus belong to the other. 

 Menetes alone is rather more doubtlul, its peculiarly slender- 

 shafted baculum having a blade somewhat connecting the 

 two types. 



Observations on the forms found in allied groups, in 

 Tamias, Citelius, the flying squirrels, and others must be 

 reserved for a future paper. 



XXXV. — On some Pteropine Bats from Vulcan and Dampier 

 Islands, off the JS^.E. Coast of JS^ew Guinea. By Oldfield 

 Thomas. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



The British Museum has received a small collection of 

 mammals obtained by Mr. A. S. Meek on the two islands 

 mentioned in the title, and among them are examples of three 

 members of the genus Pteropus. One of these, from Dampier 

 Island, may be referred to P. hypomelamis luteus, but its 

 representative in Vulcan Island appears to be a new race 

 of that widely distributed species. With P. h. luteus, 

 on Dampier Island, there also occurs a new form of the 

 P. mariannus group. 



Pteropus hasiliscus, sp. n. 



General characters as in P. tonganus and vanicoreribis, the 

 species being similarly a large-eyed member of the P. marianrius 

 group. Colour of head above pale greyish brown, passing 

 gradually into the ochraceous buffy of the mantle. Back 



