216 Mr. K. Andersen on the Characters and 



skulls known^ one of which is, however, inQmature, while the 

 teeth of the two other skulls are not much worn ; on the 

 other hand, in all the (seven) skulls I have seen of Pt. lom- 

 bocensis p^ is present, though some of these skulls have 

 much-worn teeth. It is quite common to find this rudi- 

 mentary tooth persistent even in aged specimens of Pteropus. 



(6) "Small lower premolar relatively larger than in 

 Pteropus, but smaller than in Pteralopex, its outer ed;ie 

 raised but not distinctly cuspid^ite.^' — It is a general rule in 

 Pteropus that an increase in the size of ig is accompanied by 

 an increase in the size of pi ; compare, for instance, Pt. lorn- 

 bocensis, samt/ensis, a?ietiauus, pseluphon, pilosus, tuberculatus. 

 Pt. leucopterus follows the same rule (as does also Pteralopex), 

 and pi is not relatively larger in Pt. leucopterus than in 

 Pt. lombocensis, sanwensis, anetiauus, and pilosus. In structure 

 it does not differ from the typical Pteropine pi. 



(7) " pm3 shows no trace of cusp on inner side."*' — As 

 well known, the structure of a typical Pteropine molar is 

 this : a longitudinal groove flanked by higher outer and 

 lower inner ridge. But in the anterior large premolar above 

 and below (p^ and p^) the outer ridge takes more the form 

 of a high acutely pointed cusp, the inner ridge of a lower 

 pointed cusp, and both are anteriorly closely approximated, 

 sometimes completely fused. A fusion of the outer and 

 inner cusps, perfectly sinnlar to that seen in ps of P/. leuco- 

 pterus, is shown by a considerable number of species of 

 Pteropus, and in some species, e. g. Pt. papuanus, scapulatus, 

 and woodfordi, the fusion of the cusps is decidedly more 

 complete than in Pt. leucopterus. 



(8) "Molars, both above and below, subquadrate in outline, 

 the length of the crown never conspicuously greater than the 

 width (nig [obviously a misprint for mj] and m* not elongated 

 as in Pteropus)." — In species of Pteropus with perfectly 

 unmodified dentition the molariform teeth, particularly m\ 

 are conspicuously longer than broad ; in Pt. leucopterus they 

 are only one-fourth or one-third longer than broad ; 

 expressed in other words, they are shorter but not narrower 

 than usual. It is quite natural that this peculiarly shortened 

 form of the cheek-teeth of Pt. leucopterus attracted the 

 attention of ]\lr. Miller ; it is, in fact, not precisely matched 

 by any other Pteropus. But Pt. leucopterus is in this respect 

 approached by Pt. insularis, phceocephalus, macrot'is, epularius, 

 pullocephalus, papuanus, and neohibernicus, in all of which 

 the molariform teeth are shorter than usual. And a modi- 

 fication of the outline of the cheek-teeth much greater than 

 that shown by Pt. leucopterus is found in Pt. personatus, 



