12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM tol. 73 



DIPODILLUS LUTE US Dollman 



GERBIL 



Native name. — Mbadya (Chigogo). 



I captured one of these gerbils at Dodoma one evening as it ran 

 across the path in the moonlight; it was kept in a small cage which 

 it shared amicably with a Leggada hella hella. Maize, potatoes, 

 "mtama," and groundnuts were provided for it, and on these it 

 subsisted for three months, and was still alive at the time of embar- 

 kation. 



TATERONA SWAYTHLINGI Kershaw 

 SWAYTHLING'S GERBIL 



Native name. — Mhanya (Chigogo). 



Taken from a burrow into which it rushed from another that was 

 being opened up in an attempt to capture a lizard. Kept in a zinc- 

 lined box and fed on the same diet as the foregoing species; it thrived. 

 These gerbils do not appear to be very common about Dodoma. 



RATTUS RATTUS ALEXANDRINUS (Geoffroy) 

 ALEXANDRINE BLACK RAT 



Native name. — Ngule (Chigogo); Panya (Kiswahili). 

 A great many Alexandrine rats were captured for feeding the owls, 

 genets, and snakes. 



RATTUS COUCHA MICRODON (Peters) 



SHAMBA MOUSE 



Native name. — Mhanyalusangha (Chigogo). 



Not common at Dodoma apparently, though six were taken in a 

 wire trap in one night, almost the only occasion on which any were 

 trapped. They were killed and eaten by Psammophis suhtaeniatus 

 and Bitis arietans. 



LEGGADA BELLA BELLA Thomas 



PIGMY MOUSE 



Native name. — Chimhanga (Chigogo). 



During May and June half a dozen of these little creatures were 

 captured on the premises, usually discovered when moving cages. 

 The diet supplied to the gerbils suflEiced for these also, though at the 

 time of writing all have escaped save one. 



ARVICANTHIS ABYSSINICUS NEUMANNI (Matschle) 



UNSTRIPED GRASS RAT 



Native name. — Fudi (Chigogo). 



This abundant diurnal species was the rat most commonly trapped 

 for feeding the owls. The great drawback to trapping them was the 



