new African Mammals. 197 



Skull : greatest length 52 j upper molar series from p* 8. 



Hab. Benito River, French Congo, 15 miles from mouth. 

 Sea-level. 



Type. Adult male. B.M. no. 0. 2. 5. 27. Collected 

 6 th February, 1899, by Mr. G. L. Bates. 



Dipodillus somalicns, sp. n. 



Allied to D. stigmonyx, Heugl., but larger. 



Size rather small. Fur soft and fine; hairs of back about 

 8-9 mm. in length. General colour above the usual bright 

 sandy of the Gerbils, duller on the back, brighter on the 

 flanks. Belly, hands, and feet, as usual, pure white. A well- 

 marked white patch behind each ear ; no dark nose-patch. 

 Tail long, sandy buff proxirnally, lighter below, the terminal 

 tuft, which is of medium development, brown. 



Skull more flattened in the frontal region than that of 

 D. stigmonyx ; brain-case broad. Bullas decidedly larger than 

 in the allied species. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in skin) : — 



Head and body 86 mm. ; tail 128 ; hind foot 25 3 ; ear 12. 



Skull: greatest length 28; basilar length 20; breadth of 

 brain-case 13"3 ; palatal foramina 5'4; length of upper molar 

 series 39. 



Hab. Upper Sheikh, Somaliland. Alt. 4500'. 



Type. Adult male. B.M. no. 9. 12. 17.40. Original 

 number 226. Collected 20th October, 1909, and presented 

 by Dr. R. E. Drake-Brockman. Three specimens. 



No Gerbil of this group has previously been described 

 from Somaliland. The present form seems to be nearest to 

 the Soudanese D. stigmonyx, but is larger in all dimensions. 



Mickodillus, gen. nov. 



Type Microdillus peeli. (Gerbillus peeli, de Wint. Ann. 

 & Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) i. p. 250, 1898, description of 

 skull only, not skin.) 



The British Museum owes to Dr. R. E. Drake-Brockman 

 a number of examples of a small short-tailed Gerbil from 

 Upper Sheikh, Somaliland, which at first sight appeared to 

 be distinct from anything previously described. Closer 

 examination, however, shows that when describing his 

 Oerbillus peeli Mr. de Winton was deceived by an erroneous 

 label, and that the skin he described as that of G. peeli is 

 that of a young Ammodillus imbellis, while the skull is that 

 of an entirely distinct animal, whose external characters are 

 now for the first time made available. 



Arm. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 8. Vol. v. 14 



