Cluotopteru?, Sciurus, Neacomys, &c. 311 



slender point far overtopping the fur ; and (3) a thick coat of 

 woolly hair some 50 mm. in length. General colour of the 

 animal, as a whole, hoary blackish, the fur (which entirely 

 hides the spines) uniformly blackish brown, but profusely 

 lined by the long whitish ends to the bristles. Individually, 

 on the body, (1) the spines are straw-yellow with blackish 

 ends ; (2) the bristles are yellowish white basally, have a 

 broad blackish ring rather beyond their middle, their long 

 ends being white or yellowish white, contrasting markedly 

 with the dark fur ; (3) the fur is light brown basally, 

 darkening to blackish brown, and tipped slightly on the dorsal 

 and broadly on the ventral surface with hoary whitish. 



Head with its spines whitish for their basal Jialves, then 

 with a broad black ring followed by a white one, the extreme 

 tip again black ; bristles shorter than on the body, their 

 median dark ring extending downwards nearly to their bases. 

 Hands and feet blackish, more or less lined with hoary grey. 

 Tail-base yellowish white above, from the broad whitish ends 

 to the numerous bristles ; below black ; the thinly haired 

 terminal point brown or blackish brown all round. 



Skull, as usual, most variable, no two examples resembling 

 each other, but the dimensions below Avill give an idea of its 

 size and shape. 



Dimensions of the type (measured by Sr. Briceno in the 

 flesh) :— 



Head and body 380 mm. ; tail 190; hind foot, s. u. 40, 

 c. u. 50. 



Skull : greatest length 68 ; basilar length 59 ; greatest 

 breadth 40; nasals 20xll'5; interorbital breadth 20; 

 breadth of brain-case 29 ; palate length 30 ; diastema 18 ; 

 palatal foramina 6 ; length of upper tooth-series 15. 



Hah. Merida, Venezuela (Montanas de la Pedregosa). 

 Alt. 2500 m. 



Type. Adult male. B.M. no. 5. 7. 5. 9. Original 

 number 4. Collected 14th January, 1905, by Sr. Bricefio. 

 Five specimens. 



This well-marked porcupine agrees with C. vestitus, Thos. *, 

 alone of all described species in the possession of long 

 spinous bristles in addition to both the normal short spines 

 and a thick coat of woolly fur. From that animal, however, 

 it may be readily distinguished by the light colour of the 

 long ends to these bristles, which in C. vestitus are black. 



* Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) iv. p. 284 (1899). 



