the Asiatic Bamboo-Rats. 59 



form a series decreasing in size southwards with a gradual 

 lightening of colour and disappearance of the red on the 

 cheeks. Whether the) 7 will prove to be sharply separable 

 from each other, or intergrade, there is as yet not enough 

 material to decide. 



Rhizomys latouchei, sp. n. 



Size slightly greater than in R. sinensis and pruinosus. 

 Fur soft ; hairs of back about 20 mm. in length. Colour of 

 the most pronounced "pruinosus" character, dark smoky 

 grey profusely grizzled with the white ends to the longer 

 hairs. Under surface rather paler. Top of muzzle darker. 

 Area round mouth greyish white. Hands and feet brown, 

 ringers whiter. Tail blackish, apparently without lighter 

 tip. Mammae, functional, 1 — 3 = 8, but there is in addition a 

 minute anterior pectoral pair which have obviously never 

 been used. 



Skull heavily built, more so than in sinensis and pruinosus. 

 Nasals evenly narrowing backwards. Anteorbital foramina 

 rounded, less triangular than in the other Rhizomys, and 

 more resembling those of Nyctocleptes. Interorbital region 

 broad, its edges square, slightly converging backwards, con- 

 tinuous with the parietal ridges; the latter remain separate 

 throughout, at least 5 mm. apart, and do not form a median 

 sagittal crest. Occipital plane comparatively low, more 

 nearly vertical- than in other species. Breadth of posterior 

 narial opening about half its height. 



Molars rather light. M 1 distinctly worn down below the 

 line of m 2 . 



Dimensions of the type : — 



(No external measurements available.) 



Skull : condylo-basal length 69 mm. ; condylo-incisive 

 length 67*5 ; zygomatic breadth 50 ; mesial height of 

 zygoma 9; nasals 2G x 9 ; anteorbital foramen 5*1x5; 

 greatest breadth on frontals 19*5 ; interorbital breadth 13*2 ; 

 height of crown from alveolus of m 3 27 ; occipital plane, 

 height from basion 21'5, breadth 32; palatal foramina 7*3 ; 

 upper molar series (crowns) 13'5. 



Ilab. Swatow, Quangtung, China. " In hills." 



Type. Adult female. B.M. no. 92. 2. 1. 27. Collected 

 February 1889, and presented by J. de La Touche, Esq. 



While the skin of this species is indistinguishable from 

 that of R. pruinosus, the skull has some resemblance to that 

 of Nyctocleptes by its thick build, rounded anteorbital fora- 

 mina, and broad unconstricted interorbital region. 



From its locality it might have been supposed to be 



