98 Mr. O. Thomas on neto 



part of the last two whorls is deeply channelled. The 

 tubercles forming the coronation are hollow spines, and far 

 more numerous, almost double the number of the nodosities 

 in nivosa. The ground-colour is salmon-red and the white 

 markings take the form of flecks or splashes rather than of 

 spots and dots. The aperture is large and whiter within, and 

 the columellar folds are white. 



V. nivosa, V. trvince, V. ohlita { = tiorrisii, and., nee Gray), 

 and V. sophia form a group of species which possess some 

 features in common, namely, the radiating brown lines upon 

 the spire, the coronated wliorls, brown or reddish lineation on 

 the anterior fasciole, and two transverse colour-bands, more 

 or less lineated except in V. sophia, and they all exhibit 

 white spotting or mottling upon the rest of the surface of tiie 

 body- whorl. This is not seen in any of the published figures 

 of V. sojyhia, but it does occur in some examples. 



It becomes a question of regarding these four forms as 

 distinct or as local races of one species with a wide geogra- 

 phical range upon the north and west coasts of Australia. 

 V. nivosa and V. irvin(£ are the two most southern forms, 

 occurring off Sw'an River and as far north as Shark's Bay ; 

 V. ohlita ranges further north, about the Dampier Archipelago, 

 and V. sophia is restricted to the extreme north of the 

 continent. 



Mr. W. F. Petterd, who does not accord specific rank to 

 norrisii (auct.) and sophia, Gray, has given the distribution 

 of these forms and of V. nivosa (Journ. of Conch, vol. ii. 

 p. 341). 



XII. — New African small Mammals in the British Museum 

 Collection. By Oldfield Thomas. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees.) 



Among the following new animals special attention may be 

 directed to the interesting new genus of Muridaa discovered 

 by Dr. Hinde in the coast region of British East Africa, to 

 the new Taphozous also sent by him from the same district, 

 and to the new Heterocephalus from Somaliland, in connexion 

 with whose descriptions I have ventured on some speculations 

 about the dental formula in the group. 



Taphozous hildegardece, sp. n. 



An African representative of the Asiatic black-bearded 

 T. melanopoQon. 



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