Two ncxo Species o/'Mus. 219 



Afus liildegardece, sp. n. 



A small species precisely like the local multiinammate 

 form M. Uildehrandd, but with a very different skull. 



General colour above dark olive-grey, lined with black. 

 Sides pale buliy, with an indication of a clearer bufFy line 

 edging the under surface, lielly dull greyish, the hairs slaty 

 basally and dull whitish terminally. Face like back. Ears 

 not very long, greyish brown, not contrasted with the head. 

 Hands and feet dull white above ; fifth hind toe without 

 claw reaching just past the base of the fourth. Tail about 

 the length of the body without the head, thinly haired, the 

 scales not hidden ; greyish brown above, dull whitish below. 



ISkuU entirely different from that of any known species ; 

 broad, rounded throughout, without marked ridges or angles. 

 Interorbital region smoothly rounded, without beading. 

 Brain-case large, rounded, inflated, unndged. Interparietal 

 of medium size, its anterior border convex forwards. Front 

 edge of anteorbital plate slanted backwards, scarcely deve- 

 loped above. Palatal foramina large, reaching to the middle 

 of m', back ot palate le\el with the hinder end of m^. Builas 

 of medium size. 



Incisors ihiii antero-posteriorly, markedly thrown forward, 

 so as to be easily seen from above in front of the nasals ; 

 yellow above, whitening terminally, paler yellow below. 

 Molars of normal structure, broad, and with well-derined 

 cusps. 



Dimensions of the tj^pe (measured in skin) : — 



Head and body Vl'6 millim. ; tail 100, hind foot (s. u.) 23; 

 ear (dry) 13. 



Skull : greatest length, excluding incisors, 30 ; basilar 

 length 26-5; zygomatic breadth 170; nasals 11-2 x3-4:; 

 interorbital breadth 48 ; breadth of brain-case 13, inter- 

 parietal 3-3 X 8-5; palate length 14; diastema i)-2 ; palatal 

 foramina 7'6x 2*7 ; length of upper molar series 5. 



Hob. j\lachakos, 5400 feet ; two specimens. Another from 

 Kitui, 3500 feet. 



Type. Adult male. B.M. no. 1. 8. 7. 10. Original num- 

 ber 88. Collected 5th June, 1901. 



This mouse presents the most remarkable resemblance to 

 another totally different species riiat I have ever seen. I fail 

 to find any point whatever by which M. Hildegardece can be 

 distinguished externally from the Machakos member of the 

 multimammate group, for which the name of J/, tlildebrandti 

 Peters, may be provisionally used. Mr. and Mrs. Hinde 

 have sent several specimens of each form iu different con- 



