/'i>;-ffi.'s o/ Arvicaiitliis abyssiiiicus. r/M 



B. (tt'iieral oolniir n-iMisIi (in-nr '* vtiti- 



dykt) bri>wii "). Iluntls Htiil iWt \vl- 

 low. Sizi> liir(jo ; liiiid tout=^l tutu. 

 (Kisumu, Mount Hljrou.) (•*) a. rubesoent, subap. n. 



C. Citnioral colour bhioUi.-ih (tu'ftr "sonl- 



browii"). HhiuIh niul foet dark, 

 Sizo Inrije ; hiHdfoot = 2'J unit. (Mn- 

 sindi, Uiiyoro.) (•">) <J. nubilanf, subap. n. 



( I ) A rvi'C'iti th is ahyssinicus^ R ii pp. 

 1842. Mtu ahyssiniciu, Riippell, Mus. Senck. iii. p. lOJ. 



General colour-cfTict above jjule " hair-hiown " ; individual 

 hairs of back (10 nun. \o\vX) have basal two-tltiriLs black 

 and retnaiiuler " creain-biitl." Dorsal median black stripe 

 fi^enerally distinctly marked, never entirely absent. Tail 

 dark above, pale below, rather short. Hands and teet 

 grey. 



ykuU rather stout, .'supraorbital crests stron^dy marked, 

 anteorbital plates broad, rounded. 



Dimensions of an adult male : — 



Head and body 140 mm. ; tail 102; hind foot 29. 



Skull: greatest length 3l> ; basilar length 30 ; zygomatic 

 breadth 19; nasals length 15; interorbital breadth G; 

 brain-ca.se breadth 14 ; diastema 9'5 ; upper molar series 7. 



More than a dozen specimens examined. 



(2) Arvicdtifhis abi/ssinicus nairobcEy Allen. 

 1909. ArcicatUhis nairobee, Allen, Bull. Am. Mils. X. H. p. 1(J8. 



This form is coloured exactly as typical dhi/ssiiufu.-!^ hut 

 the grizzling is much finer. Smaller in size all round than 

 the Abyssinian torm. Hands and feet grey. 



Skull broad in j)roportion to length, with, as Mr. Allen 

 points out, the nasals expanded anteriorly ; bullsE larfre, as in 

 the Abyssinian form. 



The following are measurements of a very old male from 

 the Athi River : — 



Hea<l and body 13ii mm. ; tail 107 ; hind fool 27. 



Sknll : greatest length 34'5 ; basilar length 28 ; zygomatic 

 breadth 19; nasals length 13*5; interorbital breadth 5; 

 brain-case breadth 14; diastema 9; upper molar tooth- 

 row 6'<). 



Specimens from Machakos seem to belong to this form. 

 It apjjears to differ from typical abyssinictis in little but its 

 smaller size. 



