African Bats and Shrewa. 319 



new species is readily recognizable by its dark beard and 

 non-glaudular t;iil. 



Chcsrephon niyer'uey sp. n. 



Closely allied to Ch. plicatus, conspicuously larger than in 

 any of the members of the Ch. pumilus group. 



Size about as in Cli. plicaius. General colour dark brown 

 throughout, except that the band of fur on the under side of 

 the wing-tueinbrane bordering the body between the humerus 

 and femur is white, strongly contrasting with the uniformly 

 dark body. Wing-membranes dull brown above and distally 

 below, whitish proximally below. Ears and other soft parts 

 apparently all as in Ch. plicatus. 



Skull about the size of that of Ch. plicatus, but much 

 lower and flatter, the upper profile almost straight instead of 

 being strongly siimate. Teeth as in the Indian species. 



Dimensions of the type (measured on the spirit-speci- 

 men) : — 



Forearm 46 mm. (47 in second specimen). 



Head and body 68; tail 37'5 ; ear 21; third finger, meta- 

 carpus 47'5, first phalanx 20, second phalanx 21 ; fifth 

 finger, metacarpus 27, first phalanx 15 ; lower leg and hind 

 foot (c. u.) 24. 



Skull : condylo-basal length 18'6 ; mastoid breadth ll'o ; 

 front of canine to back of m^ 7' 7. 



Hab. Zaria Province, Northern Nigeria. 



Tt/pe. Adult female. B.M. no. 11. 3. 22. 1. Collected 

 and presented by A. C. Francis, Esq. Two specimens. 



This bat is no doubt most closely allied to the Abyssinian 

 Ch. hivittatus, Heugl., a species we have not got, but which 

 is said to be almost identical with the Indian Ch. plicatus. 

 Heuglin's bat has, however, a pale under surface, which 

 would distinguish it from Ch. nigen'ce, whether it proves to 

 have the high brain-case of Ch. plicatus or the more flattened 

 one of the present species. 



The Generic Position of two large Shrews. 



At the instance of Mr. E. Heller I have again carefully 

 considered the question of the generic position of the two 

 giant African shrews described by me as Croidura goliath 

 and ISylvisorex somereni, and have come to the conclusion 

 that they might eacii form the basis of a special genus, on 

 the characters described below. 



