On the Spalax of the Grecian Archipelago. 315 



This species is chiefly distinguished from H. argenteo- 

 cinereus by the greater development of the postorbital pro- 

 jections, the greatest breadth across these in a full-grown 

 specimen of that species being only 96^ with interorbital 

 breadth 9, as compared with the 12'4, 9*4 of angonicus, 

 these measurements being approximately constant through- 

 out the series of both forms. The little vertical ridge on 

 the occipital plane is present in all three adult specimens 

 of angonicus, and in none of the eight available examples 

 of argenteo-cinereus. 



Of other species, robustus of Mpika is much larger, 

 marungensis, Noack, of Maruugu, is separated geographically 

 by the locality of rohustus, and has its frontal profile more 

 as in the East African pa//?f/M5. 



XXXVII. — The Spalax of the Gi-ecian Archipelago. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



(Published by pex-niission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



The National Museum owes to Major T. S. Blackwell, 

 E-.A.M.C, now serving his country in the Island of Lemnos, 

 a series of six skulls, three male and three female, of 

 the mole-rat (Spalax) of that island, obtained at Mudros 

 West, where these *' moles'' are said to be very numerous. 

 Besides these excellent skulls, the Museum also contains a 

 skin and imperfect skull sent in 1916 from Mudros East by 

 Capt. H. M. Warrand, to whom we owe our first knowledge 

 of the occurrence of Spalax in the island. 



Ou reference to Meliely's elaborate Monograph of the 

 genus, the Lemnos Spalax would appear to be referable to 

 the widely distributed Spalax (Mesospalax) monticola, but 

 cannot be identified with any one of the eleven subspecies 

 of that animal which he recognizes, and forms a special race, 

 which may be called 



Spalax monticola insularis, subsp. n. 



Incisors generally white in front. Molars with coalesced 

 roots, about as in S. m. anatolicus. Nasals reaching about 

 as far back as the premaxillary processes, their junction 

 with the frontals unusually complicated. 



21* 



