On new Mammals from Madagascar. 461 



Eah. Aden and Lahej {Yerhury) ; Syria and Mesopo- 

 tamia {Baly Collection). 



Dirty yellow in colour, with a spot on the vertex of the 

 head, the intervals between the costse of the elytra, the an- 

 tennge and tarsi more or less brownish ; first three or four 

 joints of the antennee partly yellowish. Upper part of the 

 head and the disk of the prothorax rather strongly punctured, 

 the latter sinuate in the middle both at base and apex. 

 Elytra each with four raised lines or costa?, of which the 

 third is short, extending from the middle of the elytron to 

 about the hinder fourth or fifth part ; the outer costa begins 

 just behind the shoulder, and is sharp and distinct up to a 

 short distance from the apex ; the concave intervals between 

 the costse are closely and finely punctured. The last ventral 

 segment of the male is somewhat sinuately emarginate at 

 the apex, with a triangular depression just in front of the 

 emaro^ination. 



LXVI. — Descriptions of Four additional'^ nem Mammals 

 from Madagascar. By Dr. C. I. FORSYTH .MAJOR. 



1. Microgale taiva f, sp. n. 



Represented by a single specimen, a female not fully 

 grown, for, although all the true molars are completely 

 develo))ed and in use, most of the milk-teeth are still in situ. 

 The dimensions of the adult animal would be about interme- 

 diate between M. longicaudata and M. Cowani on the one 

 side, and M. Thomasi on the other. The present specimen is 

 only slightly larger than full-grown individuals of the former 

 two and of M. crassipes, the type of which I have examined 

 in Paris. 



Besides the general dimensions, this new species is particu- 

 larly distinguished by its long tail, which, though shorter 

 than in M. longicaudata, is much longer than in all tlie other 

 known species of Microgale. The coloration of the fur, 

 whilst agreeing with that of M. Cowani and M. Thomasi, is 

 somewhat darker than in M. longicaudata. 



In the general form of the skull this new form agrees, too, 

 with the above-named species, and more than all with 

 M. Cowani, whereas M. longicaudata has a somewhat 



• See snprd, p. 318. 



t The section of the Betsimisaraka tribe inhabiting the forest east of 

 Betsileo nre called Tauala by their neighbours. The name they give to 

 themselves in the northern portion of this forest, in which Ambohimi- 

 tombo is situated, is Taiva. 



Ann. d: Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 6. Vol xviii. 32 



