﻿On 
  Mammals 
  from 
  Northern 
  Nigeria. 
  457 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  is 
  prevents 
  identification 
  of 
  

   the 
  foregoing 
  with 
  the 
  British 
  form 
  unless 
  a 
  very 
  decided 
  

   metamorphosis 
  occurs. 
  

  

  The 
  systematic 
  position 
  of 
  Magelona, 
  with 
  its 
  peculiar 
  

   external 
  form 
  and 
  internal 
  structure, 
  was 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  un- 
  

   certainty 
  to 
  Dr. 
  George 
  Johnston, 
  the 
  only 
  author 
  who 
  

   attempted 
  its 
  consideration 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  So 
  puzzled 
  was 
  

   he 
  that 
  he 
  placed 
  it 
  (his 
  Maea 
  mirabilis) 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  his 
  

   Catalogue 
  for 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  under 
  a 
  family 
  specially 
  

   constituted 
  for 
  itself 
  (viz. 
  Maeadse). 
  In 
  the 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  

   the 
  Fauna 
  of 
  St. 
  Andrews 
  it 
  was 
  located 
  between 
  the 
  

   Chsetopteridee 
  and 
  the 
  Spionidse; 
  but 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  further 
  

   investigation 
  clearly 
  relegate 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  group 
  *. 
  It 
  

   leans, 
  indeed, 
  wholly 
  to 
  the 
  Spionidse 
  in 
  minute 
  structure, 
  

   and 
  especially 
  to 
  such 
  forms 
  as 
  Prionospio 
  and 
  Heterospio, 
  

   though 
  it 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  marked 
  regional 
  distinctions 
  

   and 
  the 
  great 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  posterior 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  body 
  it 
  

   approaches 
  Spiochcetopterus. 
  While 
  it 
  confoi*ms 
  to 
  the 
  

   Spionidse 
  in 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  its 
  body-wall 
  and 
  bristles, 
  it 
  

   differs 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  dorsal 
  branchiae. 
  In 
  

   the 
  mechanism 
  of 
  its 
  proboscis 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  

   its 
  snout 
  and 
  circulatory 
  organs, 
  again, 
  it 
  presents 
  features 
  

   sui 
  generis. 
  

  

  LIU. 
  — 
  On 
  Mammals 
  collected 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  G. 
  T. 
  Fox 
  in 
  

   Northern 
  Nigeria. 
  By 
  OLDFIELD 
  THOMAS. 
  

  

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

  

  The 
  British 
  Museum 
  owes 
  to 
  the 
  kindness 
  of 
  the 
  Rev. 
  G. 
  T. 
  

   Fox, 
  of 
  the 
  Cambridge 
  University 
  Mission 
  in 
  Northern 
  

   Nigeria, 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  small 
  mammals 
  from 
  that 
  country, 
  

   and 
  these 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  interesting 
  as 
  to 
  deserve 
  the 
  publi- 
  

   cation 
  of 
  a 
  list. 
  

  

  The 
  specimens 
  were 
  mostly 
  obtained 
  at 
  Panyam, 
  on 
  the 
  

   plateau 
  of 
  that 
  name, 
  in 
  Bauchi 
  Province, 
  about 
  9° 
  30' 
  E. 
  and 
  

   10° 
  N. 
  The 
  plateau 
  is 
  about 
  4000' 
  in 
  altitude, 
  and 
  the 
  

   climate 
  is 
  therefore 
  comparatively 
  cool. 
  A 
  few 
  skins 
  were 
  

   collected 
  at 
  Kabir, 
  on 
  the 
  slope 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  at 
  about 
  2700'. 
  

  

  The 
  proportion 
  of 
  novelties 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  is 
  unusually 
  

  

  * 
  Proc. 
  R. 
  S. 
  E. 
  1875-6, 
  vol. 
  ix. 
  no. 
  94, 
  p. 
  123. 
  

  

  