574 " Mr. 0. Thomas 07i 



Mr. Sinitliers had heard of this interesting inhabitant of 

 the Cordoba highhuids for some time, and has at last been 

 able to obtain a hanter^s skin of it. Though without a skull, 

 there can be no doubt whatever either as to its affinities or of 

 its distinctness from any previously described species. 



It has been to Mr. Smithers that we already owe the 

 specimens of Azara's fox which I took as typical of Pseud- 

 alopex azarica^ and I now have great pleasure in connecting 

 his name with the present striking animal, in whose discovery 

 lie has been instrumental. 



Microsciurus avunculus, sp. n. 



Closely similar to M. napi, but markedly larger throughout. 



Size a little larger than in any described species. General 

 colour above finely grizzled olive-brown, the fore back sligiitly 

 greyer, the hind back warmer. Chest greyish " cinnamon- 

 buff," not such a bright ochraceous as in Af. ruhrirostris ; 

 belly and inner sides of hind limbs dull tawny, toned down 

 by the slaty bases of the hairs. Crown finely ticked with 

 ochraceous, a little warmer than nape, more like hind back, 

 not so ochraceous as in ruhnrostris. Ears with their inner 

 surface grizzled ochraceous ; outer surface grey anteriorly, 

 with a large whitish patch posteriorly, the upper part of this 

 patch buffy. Hands and feet grizzled ochraceous. Edges 

 of tail pale buffy. 



Skull conspicuously larger than that of M. napi\ about as 

 in ]\f, ruhrirostris. 



Dimensions of the type : — 



Hind foot, s. u. 39, c. u. 42 mm. ; ear 15. 



Skull : tip of nasals to front of interparietal 35*5 ; condylo- 

 incisive length 34 ; zygomatic breadth 23'3 ; nasals 11 x 4'8 ; 

 interorbital breadth 14*2 ; breadth of brain-case 19 ; palatal 

 length 16; tooth-row (exclusive of/y^) 6*2. 



llnh. Oriente of Ecuador. Type from Gualaquiza ; alt. 

 2500'. 



Type. Young adult male. B.M. no. 14. 4. 25. 53. 

 Original number 312. Collected 31st November, 1913, by 

 Gilbert Hammond. Presented by Oldfield Thomas, 



This species is in colour quite like M. napi, which occurs 

 in the same region, but is so much larger, as evidenced by 

 its skull- and tooth-measurements, that it is clearly different. 

 It is probably most nearly related to M. rubricoUis, the species 

 I have always regarded as M. peruanus, Alkn, but is distin- 

 guished from both by its much duller and less contrasted 

 under surface. 



