On the Genus Xyctopliilus. A'JA 



oocn|)viiip^ the gicitost part of tlie in<'tajtI«Mira, aiiJ v«'iv 

 sli-,'litly sculptun-il. Distant (Kliyiieli. lirit. Tii'l. iv. p. 4(14) 

 lias also (Ifsi-riltt'd tlu> genus (iiiidfi- tin* wrong name" Profo- 

 p/inntiisf<i ") and says in tlie ilescription : " iibia3 longitudinally 

 groiwed." ISIioiild the tii)iie really piove to be sulcated in 

 the species <k'sciil)ed hy Distant, tlii.s would be a most unusual 

 antl aberrant specific character of that sp«!cies, as the cylin- 

 drical non-sulcate tibia? is one of the principal characters of 

 the Aoanthosoniatina'. I have seen no nieiniicr of thi:4 sub- 

 taniily with furrowed til)ij«. 



Five species id" tins cuiious genus were previously known, 

 one from Ceylon, two from Sumatra, one from Java, and one 

 from Borneo. 



XLI. — ^^otes on the Oenus Nyctophilus. 

 By Oldfield '1'homas. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Muaeuui.) 



Whex describing the new genus Pharotis last year I |)ub- 

 lished * a cursory survey of its ally, Xijctophilus, and finding 

 out in what direction further material was most urgently 

 needed, I nuule an appeal to the authorities of the Australian 

 Museum, Sydney, for s|)ecimens from Eastern Australia. 



Through the kindness of Mr. A. R. McCnlloch, that 

 appeal has been most liberally responded to, and I have been 

 entrusted with their whole collection of the genns, numbering 

 no less than 42 specimens from various localities, all pre- 

 served in spirit, thus supplementing the British Museum 

 material, which is largely in skin. 



On studying these spirit-specimens I find that most useful 

 difTerenlial characters may be drawn both frotn the develop- 

 ment of the nose-leaf, hitherto suj)poscd to be the same 

 throughout the genus, and from the structure of the lione 

 to which 1 have recently drawn attention in squirrels, the 

 baculum or penis-bone. 



The facial membranes consist, firstly, of a definite semi- 

 circular leaf surmounting the nostrils, with or without a 

 median notch in its upper edge, and, secondly, of a rounded 

 elevation behind it, more or less divided centrally info two 

 halves, and varying in its development in three different 

 degrees, which may be briefly described as follows : — 



1. Elevation quite low, rounded, nearly uniformly hairy, 

 division into two scarcely perceptible. 



• Ann. & Mag. X. II. ifi) xiv. p. 383. 



