A new (Joins fv I' Sciiinis poon:iis aiul its Allies. 271 



Ti/pe. Ailiilt .skull (no doiiht male) witliout skin. B.AF. 

 110. 15. 12. 1. 2ti. ()ri<(inal miinber 207. Collected and 

 presented hy ]\Ir. K. (i. Gaiidner. 



This biiitiiroiii^ diU'era so immensely in size from the 

 ordinary Arctictis that no detailed comparison is needed in 

 describing it as new. It affords a curious parallel to the 

 giant Arctonyx of the same region — A. dictator — discovered 

 by Mr. Robinson, which was also obtained by Mr. Gairdner 

 at kSai Yoke. 



I have much pleasure in connecting this fine species with 

 the name of its discoverer, who has been making great efforts 

 to improve our knowledge of the Siamese mammal fauna. 

 It is to be hoped that he may presently ije able to obtain a 

 complete specimen of Arctictis gairdneri. 



XXVIII. — A new Genus fur Sciurus poensis and its Allies. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



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



When writing a revision of the genera of African squirrels 

 in 1909"'^, I included, with much hesitation, three African 

 species in the genus Sciurus, otherwise Ilolarctic only. 

 Since then, however, the important characters which may 

 be drawn from the structure of the penis-bone, or baculum f, 

 have been discovered, and it is now evident that these three 

 species should not be included in Sciurus (which has a 

 peculiar and characteristic hand-like baculum), but need 

 distinction as a new genus. 



For Sciurus poensis, one of the three species referred to, 

 has a minute, perfectly simple baculum about 2 mm. in 

 length, conspicuously different from that of Sciurus, but 

 similar to that found in several other African squirrels, 

 among whom no complicated bacula like those of Sciurus 

 occur, still less any compound ones such as have been 

 descril)ed in Callosciurus and Tomeutes. 



For the new genus I would suggest the name x^t/to- 

 sciurus, with genotype x^. poensis (Sciurus poensis, A. Smith), 

 and would include in it also JE}, lucifer and ruwenzorii. 



« Ann. & Ma}T. Nat. Hist. (8) iii. p. 467 (1909). 



t See Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (8) xv. p. 388 (1915). 



