3Ii-. O. Thomas on Tree- Shrews. 243 



XXI. — The Tree- Shrews of the Tiipaia belangeri-cliiiiensis 

 Group. By Oldfield Thomas. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the Britisli ^Cuseum.) 



In Dr. ]M. W. Lyon's recently issued Monograpli of the 

 Tupaiidje, the Tree-Shrews of Burma and the neighbouring 

 countries are all placed ])rovisionally under the heading of 

 Tupain chinenais, with the admission, however, that they 

 " constitute a somewhat heterogeneous collection." Dr. Lyon 

 also " strongly suspects that future collections will show that 

 Tupaia chinennts is a subsjiecies of T. helanyeri.^^ 



In connection with tlie receipt of three sjjecimens of this 

 group from Tengyueh ( = Momein), Yunnan, nearly topo- 

 types of T. chinensis, presented by Mr. E. B. Howell, I have 

 taken the opportunity of examining all the specimens in the 

 AJuseum, in order to try and clear up the one group of 

 Tupaiidte left unworked in Dr. Lyon's most valuable Mono- 

 graph. Except a few recent additions, the sf)eciraens havo 

 all been examined and enumerated by Dr. Lyon, and their 

 localities inserted in the map on p. 75 of bis Monograph. 



In the Hrst place, in regard to Dr. Lyon's suspicion as to 

 the specific distinction of T. chinaisis, I may express my 

 opinion that no satisfactory dividing-line between T.helangeri 

 and chinensis, as species, can be found. Tenasserim speci- 

 mens of belanyeri grade imperceptibly through those of 

 (/hiengniai, Siam, into the typical chinensis of the 8han 

 States and Yunnan; and I therefore propose to treat all the 

 members of the group as subspecies of T. hfJangeri. 



The specimens from Nepal, Sikhiu), Cacliar, Manipur, 

 Paheng, and Chiengmai — some of which are referred by 

 Dr. Lyon to T. chinensis — I should call T.helangeri helangeri, 

 as they have some fulvous suffusion on the hinder back, 

 while true chinensis is pale olive, quite without warmer 

 suffusion posteriorly. 



To T. belangeri chinensis I sliould refer the specimens 

 from Tengyueh and Meechee, Yunnan, and a small series — 

 mostly immature — from the Northein Shan States. 



Then, from an intermediate locality in the "dry area" of 

 Burma, we get a form with all the characteristics produced 

 by such dry areas, and distinct enough to form a special 

 subspecies. It may be called 



Tupaia Iiclangeri siccafa, subsp. n. 

 General colour rather darker than '*' tawny olive," the head 



