new African Rodents. 27 7 



being uniformly and coarsely mixed dusky and tawny. 

 Skull with shorter and broader nasals than in fallax ; other- 

 wise similar. Somewhat similar to Pelomys /rater, but molar 

 teeth actually and relatively smaller. 



Measurements. — Type (measured dry) : tail-vertebrae 138 ; 

 hind foot (s. u.) 30, (c. u.) 33. Skull of type: length from 

 front of interparietal to tip of nasals 325; mastoid breadth 

 13'5 ; interorbital constriction 5*2 ; length of nasals 14"8 ; 

 greatest width of nasals 5*2 ; diastema 9'3 ; palatine slits 6"8 ; 

 maxillary tooth-row 63. 



Remarks. — The dark dorsal stripe mentioned by Peters in 

 the original description of fallax is found well-developed in 

 specimens from Beira and Tambarara, Portuguese East 

 Africa, which therefore undoubtedly are typical; but in 

 specimens from more northerly localities it is increasingly 

 indistinct and becomes entirely absent in those from Northern 

 Nyasa. These Nyasa specimens, of which many are available, 

 arc characterised also by broad short nasals. 



Mus damarensis rhodesice, subsp. n. 



Type from Petauke, East Loangwa District, Northern 

 Rhodesia. Altitude 2400 ft. No. 7. 1. 11. 57, British 

 Museum. Adult female. Collected January 27th, 1905, 

 by 8. A. Neave. 



Charac'ers. — Similar to Mus damarensis, but colour darker ; 

 upperparts tawny ochraceous mixed with dusky ; sides but 

 little paler than back ; tail uniform blackish above and below. 

 Skull similar to that of damarensis, but audital bulla? smaller 

 and nasals slightly broader posteriorly ; somewhat similar to 

 that of Mus pwdulcus, but molars larger. 



Measurements. — Type: total length 274 mm.; head at 

 body 119; tail- vertebra?. 155 ; hind foot (s. u.) 24; ear 20*5 

 Skull of type: greatest length 30*7; basilar length 24*9; 

 zygomatic breadth 15*4; nasals 11*4; least interorbital 

 width 4*7 ; postpalatal length 11*2; diastema 8*3 ; palatine 

 slits 6*8; maxillary tooth-row 5*2. 



Remarks. — In external appearance this mouse shows much 

 resemblance to certain species referred to the genus Tliamno- 

 mys. It is, in fact, one of a group of several species which 

 appear to be somewhat connectant between Thamnomys and 

 Mus. The group includes Mus pcedulcus, Mus damarensis, 

 Mus nigricauda, and Thamnomys loringi ( = Mus loringi). 

 With the exception of M. loringi, which obviously is closely 

 allied to M. nigricauda, all the species of this small group 

 have the hairs of the underparts pure white to the roots, the 



