350 On a new Chinese Mole. 



one of a tuft of end-spines of the latter both in form and in 

 position relatively to the actine. 



The fact that occasionally microhexactins are found in 

 Hexasterophora does not invalidate the theory that the 

 distinctive features of Amphidiscophora and Hexasterophora 

 may have been due to the running together, at an early stage, 

 of the trabecular into strong surface laminar in the former and 

 not in the latter, thereby bending down the plastic end-spines 

 of the reduced hexaster scleroblasts and giving rise to amphi- 

 disks. 



Summary. — Clavulae and scopulte are holactine micro- 

 monactins, and it is suggested that their spines and disks 

 should be termed centrospines and centrodisks, to distinguish 

 them from the true end-spines and end-disks at the distal end 

 of the actines of astral spicules. 



Microhexactins, which were stated by me not to be present 

 in Hexasterophora, occur in certain dictyonine species, but 

 appear to be entirely absent from most of the Hexastero- 

 phora. 



XLVI. — A new Chinese Mule of the Genus Scapfcochirus. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



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



The British Museum has received from Mr. R. Gillies, of 

 the Chinese Inland Mission, a mole of the genus Scaptochirus , 

 and its examination shows not only that it is itself new, but 

 that the species which I described in 1881 as Talpa leptura 

 is after all a distinct species, and not an example with 

 abnormal dentition of S. moschatus, as has been recently 

 assumed. 



Scajrtochirus gilliesi, sp. n. 



Size rather smaller than in S. moschatus, markedly smaller 

 than in S. lepturus. Colour a darker shade of " broccoli- 

 brown," that of 8. lepturus paler brown, though this latter 

 may be due to fading. Tail well-developed, almost naked, 

 about as long as in S. lepturus, much longer than in S. mos- 

 chatus, in which it is said scarcely to project beyond the fur 

 and to measure less than a centimetre. 



Skull apparently slightly smaller than in 8. moschatus, 

 much smaller than in lepturus, its middle region less narrow 



