belonging to the Genus Crocidura. 567 



differences in size, general proportions, colour, and cranial 

 characters it seems best to consider nyansae as a distinct 

 species. We are thus able to deal with the large Central 

 African shrews as a group apart from flavescens and its allies. 

 In this nyanses group we find the tail always unicoloared 

 and not, as in flavescens, very much paler below than above. 

 Further, there is in this group no distinct line of demarca- 

 tion between the dorsal and ventral surfaces of the body, 

 the transition from the brown-coloured upper parts to the 

 brownish-grey ventral surface being very gradual and 

 indistinct. In the Museum Collection is a fairly large series 

 of specimens which may be taken as representing true 

 nyans(B ; this form would seem to be restricted to the country 

 around the north end of the Victoria Nyauza. Mr. Kemp 

 collected it at Kirui on Mt. Elgon, at Kagambah, and 

 Mbarara, Uganda; there are also specimens from Entebbe, 

 Mumias, Toro, and Mengo, Uganda. 



(1.5) Crocidura nyansce kyabts, Allen. 



Crocidura kijnhce, Allen, Bull. Auiericaii Mus. Nat. Hist. xxvi. p. 173 

 (1909). 



Ver}'^ similar to ny ansae, but rather darker throughout. 



In the original description Allen writes : " smaller size, 

 relatively much longer ta.\\" ; the examination of a con- 

 siderable series, both of nyansce and the central British 

 East African form, seems to indicate that such differences 

 are individual and not of systematic importance ; thus, if the 

 figures given below be compared with the dimensions given 

 by Allen and with the dimensions tabulated above for Neu- 

 mann's species, it will be seen that nyansce and kijabce are of 

 about the same size. 



The colour-difference is not very marked, but, seen in a 

 series, the general colour of the central British East African 

 specimens is decidedly darker than the average colour of the 

 ■nyansce series. 



Skull very like that of true nyansce, both in size and 

 dental characters. 



Dimensions of the type (as given by Allen) : — 



Head and body 123 mm, ; tail 78 ; hind foot 19. 



Skull : condylo-incisive length 30 ; greatest breadth 12 ; 

 interorbital breadth 5-2 ; length of upper tooth-row 14. 



The following are the flesh-dimensions of eight adult 

 specimens in the Museum Collection: — 



