new African Dormice. '613 



considerably broader in front than behind. Palatal region 

 excessively broad. Auditory bulho sniuller and Hatter than 

 usual. Incisor teeth slanting slightly forward, a most ex- 

 ceptional feature, the incisors in this genus being, as a rule, 

 set in a vertical or slightly recurved position. Molar teeth 

 Comparatively large. The skulls of crassicaudatus and this 

 j»e\v form would appear to have many points in common, the 

 difference in size not being nearly so well marked as in the 

 skin-dimensions. On this account, it seems best to consider 

 the colour and size diti'erences as of subspecitic value and to 

 regard this Nigerian dormouse as a geographical race of 

 crassicaudatus. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in the flesh) : — 



Head and body 89 mm.; tail 45*; hind foot 17; 

 ear 12. 



Skull: greatest length 27*5; basilar length 20'8; con- 

 dylo-basilar length 23"5 ; condylo-incisive length '2b ; zygo- 

 matic breadth 16; interorbital constriction 5*5 ; squamosal 

 breadth of brain-case 13 ; occipital breadth of braiu-case 

 12; length of nasals 9; greatest width of nasals 2'7 ; 

 palatilar lengh 10; width of palate (inside w') 3'3 ; width 

 across palate (outside m^) Q)'2 ; length of palatal foramina 

 2'7 ; postpalatal length 11 ; length of upper tooth-row ■1"2. 



Ilab. Oban District, Southern Nigeria. 



Type. Adult female. B.M. no. 12. 1. 12. 1. Original 

 number 61. Collected and presented to the British Museum 

 by F. A. Talbot, Esq. 



This Nigerian dormouse appears closely allied to the 

 Liberian crassicaudatus ^ and, at present, represents the 

 eastern limit of that group. The cranial characters exhibited 

 by these two forms are quite unlike those found in the 

 " murinus^^ group, and the only approach to these conditions 

 is found in the large Graphiurus kueti, which agrees with the 

 crassicaudatus group as regards the broad cranial and inter- 

 orbital regions and the narrow parallel-sided nasals. These 

 cranial characters considered together with the question of 

 the distichous tail appear to justify the conclusion that the 

 crassicaudatus group are diminutive allies of the large West- 

 African dorn)ice belonging to the hueti group. 



Tiiis handsome new form is named after Mrs. Talbot ; it 

 forms a most worthy addition to the long list of new and 

 rare Nigerian mammals collected by Mr. Talbot and pre- 

 sented by him to the National Collection. 



* ijrokeii. 



