;'>72 iMcssrs. 0. Thomas and 1\. C Wrougliton on 



foot larger than in either of these species. Tlie claws of tlie 

 toes (especially of the two inner) exceptionally long and 

 stout, even more so than in Adansoni ; that of the innermost 

 toe measures 7x2^ mm. 



Skull in size as in Adansoni, but that of the latter much 

 stouter and broader: thus, in Adansoni the width of the 

 brain-case at the roots of the zygomata is 19"5 mm., against 

 ]8'3 in the present species; similarly the breadth at the 

 ])ostorbital constriction and that across the zygomata are 11 

 and oO mm., as compared with 10*3 and 26. In Adansoni 

 the sagittal crest is strongly defined and carried forward to 

 the middle of the frontals, while in spicnlus it is much less 

 distinct and cannot be traced beyond the front edge of the 

 parietals. In Adansoni the nasals (15 mm.) are longer than 

 in spiculus (12'5 mm.), but nevertheless the muzzle is 

 shorter ; the distance irom the front of p^ to the front of i^ 

 in the two species is 10 and 11 mm. respectively. 



The following are measurements of the type (those of the 

 body taken in the flesli) : — 



Head and body 220 mm. ; tail 10; hind foot 30 ; ear 20. 



Skull: greatest length 41 ; palatal length 26 ; brain-case, 

 breadth 18'3 ; zygomatic breadth 26; length^/, r/i\ and 

 m^ 10. 



Uab. Maifoui, near Lake Chad. 



Type. Old male (skin and skull). Original number 18. 

 Collected by Mr. Boyd Alexander on 17th January, 1905. 

 (Three specimens examined.) 



The nearest neighbours oi spiculus are albiventris, Wagn., 

 from the Soudan and Adansoni, Rochebrune, from Senegal. 

 It resembles albiventris externally by its short fine spines, 

 but is distinguishable from it by its longer hind foot and 

 very much stronger toe-claws. In skull-characters it approxi- 

 mates to Adansoni and is easily distinguishable from albi- 

 ventris by its markedly larger molars, broader para- and 

 mesopteiygoid fossae, and especially by the absence of the 

 frontal depression so marked in albiventris ; the points in 

 which it differs from Adansoni have already been noticed. 



Poiana TUchardsoni ochracea, subsp. n. 



A paler and more ochraceous form of P. Richardsoni. 



General characters, so far as can be judged from a native 

 skin, as in P. Richardsoni, but the spots are smaller and more 

 scattered, and the ground-colour is nearer " clay-colour," but 

 verging slightly towards tawny. Under surface, instead of 

 being nearly white, of a bright buffy ochraceous colour. 



