Five nev) Rliiiioloplil /rowj Africa. 381 



Tail. — I^fucli shorter than in B/i. ferrum-equimtm, its 

 lenfjth (31'3 mm. on avcrafje) beinfi^ almost exactly the 

 same as tlie 2nd joint of 3rd finf;er (30"7 mm.) ; in Rh. 

 ferrvm-fquinuni niucli longer (36*7 against 29'5 mm.). 

 Hinder border of interfemoral, between tip of calcars, slightly 

 trianpular. 



Colour (16 skins). — General colour above "drab," with a 

 tinpe of fawn. Individual hairs " ecru-drab " at base, drab 

 at tip. On the middle of the back an ill-defined (in some 

 individuals scarcely perceptible) horseshoe-shaped patch, 

 approaching " wood-brown"; branches of this patch on the 

 shoulder-region, convexity backwards. Length of hairs on 

 middle of back about I'd ram. Underside bright ecru-drab, 

 more or less tinged with vinaceous buff on the breast and 

 sides of the body. Ears (dried) transparent brown, mem- 

 branes dark brown. Adult individuals vary but very slightly 

 in colour, some being more greyish, others more fawn in 

 hue. Young specimens (5 skins) are much duller coloured; 

 fur above greyish brown ; horseshoe-patch on back indicate!, 

 but rather indistinct j below bright grey, with a sligiit rosy 

 tinge. 



Dentition. — Essentially as in Rh. ferrum-equinum. Upper 

 c and p^ closely approximated, tiieir cingula actually touching 

 each other or separated only by an almost hair- tine inter- 

 space. Upper p^ minute, blunt, placed in the outer angle 

 formed by c and //, hardly rising to the level of the cingulum 

 of the canine ; this small tooth is present in all of the fourteen 

 skulls examined, but will no doubt be found wanting in very 

 old individuals with much-worn teeth (cf. Rh. augur zambesi- 

 ensiti). Upper p^ as high as two thirds of the canine. 

 Lower ^^2 one third of ;>4. Lower jOg, when present, extremely 

 small, placed on the external side of the tooth-row, blunt, as 

 liigh as the cingulum of y)^ ; in nine out of fourteen skulls 

 examined this tooth is wanting, and every trace of the alveole 

 has disappeared; in a tenth s|)ecimen (adult) the tooth is 

 ■wanting on both sides, but the left alveolus is still to be traced : 

 in the remaining iour skulls p^ is present on both sides ; three 

 of these latter are skulls oi young bats, the fourth of an appa- 

 rently adult individual, though still with almost unworn teeth. 

 As proved by these facts, the presence or absence of p^ 

 in this species varies indivuluallij, without any bearing on 

 differences in geographical distribution : of six specimens 

 from the same cave, taken by the same collector and in the 

 same season of the year, two have lost both the tooth and 

 every trace of the alveolus, while in four specimens it is 

 present on both sides ; evidently ii is most often to be found 



