268 Mr. O. Thomas on Two new Rodents. 
interorbital breadth 3°8 ; breadth of brain-case 12; height of 
anteorbital foramen 2°2; palate, length 9°5; diastema 5'1; 
length of upper molar series 3°1. 
Hab. Nassa, Speke Gulf, S. Victoria Nyanza. Coll. F. C. 
Smith, Esq. 
This beautiful little dormouse differs from IM. murinus, 
M. microtis, and M. Kelleni by its much paler colour, smaller 
ears, and by the entire absence of black orbital rings, while 
from M. crassticaudatus it is distinguished by its longer tail 
and more rounded skull. From all of them it is also distin- 
guished by its much shorter muzzle and proportionally broader 
nasals. It is unfortunate that the skinning of the tail has so 
distorted it that one cannot say whether in form it most 
resembles that of Jf. crassicaudatus or M. murinus; but L 
trust that spirit-specimens may soon be obtained to enable 
this and other points to be cleared up. 
On the whole I suspect that WM. Smithiz will prove to be 
most nearly allied to the Angolan M. Kelleni described in 
Dr. Reuvens’s admirable monograph of the group; but 
without seeing a specimen of that form it is difficult to appre- 
ciate the exact relationship of the two to one another. 
Lepus victoria, sp. n. 
Size and general proportions, length of ears, feet, and tail 
as in L. capensis. 
Colour of back intermediate in tone between the fulvous 
suffused LZ. capensis and the pallid hares characteristic of the 
more desert regions of North Africa. The longer hairs ringed 
with black and pale cream-colour, not fulvous. Sides of 
muzzle, patches in front of and behind eyes, and chin white. 
Forehead grizzled black and cream-colour, a frontal white 
spot present. ars with the anterior halves of their backs 
smoky grey, their extreme apical margins black, their ante- 
rior edges cream-coloured and their posterior white. Back of 
neck pale rufous. Underfur of back pale smoky grey basally, 
black terminally. On the sides of the body the grey of the 
back passes gradually into the pure white of the belly without 
any rufous line marking the transition. ‘The outer sides of 
the forearms, the back of the hands, and an indistinct line 
passing down the front of the hind limb from the hips on to 
the feet pale fulvous, very different from the deep rufous of 
these parts in L. capensis. Tail long, deep black along the 
top, pure white on the sides, below, and at the tip. 
Dimensions of the type (skin) :— 
Head and body 460 millim.; tail 73; hind foot without 
claws 102; ear 105, from notch 87. 
