724 Mr. 0. Thomas on 



LXXXI. — Four new African Carnivores. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



(Published by periuiasion of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



Ilelogale vttula, sp. n. 



A species nearly without the buffj and rufous tones 

 characteristic of the other central and northern species. 



General colour above finely grizzled grey, very much 

 as in //. atkinsoni, but with still less suffusion of buffy. 

 Head minutely speckled " smoke-grey " ; no rufous or bufiy 

 on the sides of the face. Under surface scarcely lighter than 

 back, the belly brownish grey, the throat and inguinal 

 region drabby, washed incons])icuously with dull buffy. 

 Sides of neck behind ears rather stronger buffy. Limbs Ike 

 body to the metapodials, the latter and the digits dull 

 pinkish buff. Tail grizzled, its tip and median line below 

 slightly buffy. 



Teeth of medium size. 



Dimensions of the ty])e (measured in flesh) : — 



Head and botly 215 mm.; tail (perhaps shortened in con- 

 finement) 130 ; hind foot 44-; ear 25. 



Skull : condylo-basal length oO'S ; zygomatic breadth 32 ; 

 interorbilal breadth 10*4 ; breadth of brain-case 23'5 ; 

 palatal length 24 ; breadth between outer corners of p' 19 ; 

 jt>*, length on outer edge 3'8, greatest diameter 5*1 ; breadth 

 of m^ 4-7. 



JJab. Lamu, coast of British East Africa. 



2ype. Adult male. B.M. no. 11. 10. 2lJ. 1. Presented 

 alive to the Zoological Society by the Kev. W. 1). 

 Braginton, and given at death to the National Museum. 



This species is at once distinguished from the other East 

 African forms of Ilelogalehy the almost complete suppression 

 of the bulTy, rufous, or ochraceous tones generally present, 

 especially on the muzzle, cheeks, and under surface. Even 

 the comparatively greyish Somali species, II. atkinsoni, is 

 tawny or ochraceous on the throat and inguinal region, 

 though, like //. vetula, it has a greyish head. 



From H. hirtula the present species is separated l)y its 

 buffy instead of blackish toes. 



UclogaJe percivaJi, sp. n. 



A dark grey species with blackish limbs. 



Eur close, finely s})ei:klcil, not loose and shaggy as in 



