On new Mammals from Northern Rhodesia. 239 



end of the sperm-duct seems to be represented in his figures 

 as with an intracellular duct, while the region immediately 

 succeeding the sperm-duct funnel would appear to possess an 

 undoubtedly intercellular duct. This condition, it is to be 

 noted, is precisely that of Trichodrilus. 



Although, on the above analysis, it would seem that the 

 differences between the two sets of individuals does not affect 

 characters of importance, it is clear to anyone examining the 

 actual structures concerned that a line can easily be drawn 

 between them. Such as it is, I have attempted to put the 

 difference into words. A glance, however, at the sections 

 themselves renders impossible any confusion between the two 

 varieties ; I may remark, without further detail, that this 

 also applies to the spermathecae. I cannot, however, find 

 other reasons for dividing the British Trichodrilus into two 

 species ; nor, on the other hand, am I in a position to assert 

 that such do not exist. It is just possible, but not likely, 

 that the last-described specimen was not so carefully examined 

 by me when alive ; it may therefore possess, for instance, the 

 vascular appendages of the dorsal vessel which I found 

 wanting in all the examples which I did examine. Nor can 

 I see any reason for explaining the differences in the sperm- 

 duct as positively due to distention, or to immaturity or 

 degeneration. But the fact that a similar variation occurs in 

 the atrium of Lumbriculus, so nearly allied a genus, makes 

 me unwilling to lay undue stress upon the varying sperm- 

 duct of the present species, although I cannot recollect an 

 analogous case *. I prefer — at any rate, for the present — to 

 leave the matter of the specific identity or non-identity of the 

 series of examples described here as uncertain. 



XXIX. — Three new Mammals from Northern Rhodesia. 

 By Martin A. 0. Hinton. 



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



THAT famous collector Captain Guy C. Shortridge was 

 attached for some considerable time to the air-station at 

 N'dola, in Northern Rhodesia. As was lo be expected, 

 he made very good use of his opportunity, and his large 

 collection of mammals has now arrived in the Museum. A 



* At any rate, a strictly analogous case. It will be recollected that in 

 Sutroa (Beddard, Tr. Roy. Soc. Edinb. t. c.) one of the two pairs of 

 sperm-ducts has a distinctly less calibre than the second. 



