198 Mr. O. Thomas on 



Since a choice has to be made, 1 propose, as first reviser, to 

 select the skull and not the skin as the type of peeli, for it 

 was the peculiarities of the skull on which Mr. de Winton 

 laid primary stress in his account. 



These peculiarities are, indeed, such that I now propose 

 to separate the animal generically from Dipodillns, with 

 which it has been associated since the general break-up of the 

 old genus Gerbillus. Probably it has some distant affinity 

 with DesmodiUus and Pachyuromyi, as its bulla?, although 

 far smaller than in those genera, are larger than in Dipodillus 

 and it has a similarly short tail. 



Besides the characters mentioned by de Winton, it may be 

 noted that the skull is abnormally bowed, with a strongly 

 convex cranial profile, has an unusually broad brain-case, 

 narrow interorbital constriction, and bulla3 so developed as 

 to surpass the occiput posteriorly. 



Externally Microd ill us peeli may be briefly described as of 

 small size, with short ears and tail, essentially naked soles 

 (a few scattered hairs present between the pads), and with 

 prominent white spots behind the eyes and ears. 



External dimensions of a male (measured in the flesh) : — 



Head and body 72 mm. ; tail 57 : hind foot 18; ear 10. 



Cricetomys gambianus elgonis, subsp. n. 



Apparently most nearly allied to the Ruwenzori C. g.pro- 

 parator, Wrought., with which it shares the dark general 

 colour and the comparatively short dark part of the tail, but 

 distinguished by its dark under surface, which is as in 

 C. ansorgti. 



General colour above Prout's biown, darkened along the 

 median dorsal area, lightening on the sides to broccoli-brown, 

 which passes on to the belly almost without change, only 

 becoming slightly greyer; a narrow sternal white patch 

 present in one specimen. Face like back ; indistinct dark 

 areas round eyes and on nose. Feet dark brown ; fingers and 

 toes white or whitish, varying in their degree of contrast. 

 Tail dark for about one-third its length. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in the flesh) : — 



Head and body 380 mm. ; tail 440 ; hind foot 73 ; ear 42. 



Skull : basal length G9 ; nasals 30 X 10 2 ; palatal fora- 

 mina 8'6 ; length of upper molar series 11*6. 



Hub. Mount Elgon. Type from the south face of the 

 mountain at 10,000'. 



Type. Adult male. Rudd Collection. Original number 

 452. Collected 20th November, 1909, by Robin Kemp. Two 

 specimens. 



