578 Mr. O. Thomas on 



Coleura silkouettce, sp. n. 



Like C. seycheUensis, but smaller. 



General proportions as in C. seycheUensis, the wings simi- 

 larly longer than in the mainland species, the forearm about 

 3| times as long as the skull measured from the condyle to 

 the front of the canines. Fur rather shorter than in C. gal- 

 laritm and extending less upon the membranes ; hairs of 

 back about 3, of nape 4*5 mm. in length. Colour dark 

 brown, rather darker than " bistre/' the bases of the hairs 

 scarcely lighter ; under surface similar in general tone, but 

 the tips of the hairs are slightly lighter than the bases. 



Skull like that of C. seycheUensis, but smaller throughout. 

 A mesial septal ridge generally present in the basial pit. 



Dimensions (see table on p. 579). 



Hah. Silhouette Island, Seychelles. 



Type. Adult male (skinned from spirit). B.M. no. 6.3. 18. 2. 

 Collected and presented by Prof. J. Stanley Gardiner. Six 

 specimens. 



The ]Museum contains two authentic specimens, one of 

 them a co-type, of Peters's C. seycheUensis, besides a third 

 from "Zanzibar." These differ so uniformly from the six 

 examj)les obtained by Prof. Gardiner on Silhouette Island 

 that it is evident that the Sej-chelles contain different forms 

 of the genus, no doubt inhabiting different islands. AVhile 

 it is not definitely recorded on which island Dr. Percival 

 Wright obtained the typical examples of G. seycheUensis, 

 for he mentions in connection with the species Mahe, Praslin, 

 and Silhouette, it is presumably from the first of these islands 

 that he got the specimens, as he says^ that "it was very 

 common in the neighbourhood of the town of Port Victoria, 

 Mahe," and it was there that he stayed for most of his time 

 in the Seychelles, merely making casual visits to Praslin and 

 Silhouette. 



The example from "Zanzibar" referred to C. seycheUensis 

 by Dobson appears to me to be rightly so named, but 1 

 should think it possible that its asserted locality is erroneous. 

 It was presented by a captain in the Navy, whose station 

 would have included the Seychelles, where the bat may have 

 either been caught or come on board, to be afterwards captured 

 at Zanzibar. 



As illustrating the greater length of the wing in the 

 Seychelles species, it will be seen from the table of dimen- 

 sions that C. silhouettcB has a smaller skull than C. gaUarum, 

 but yet has an absolutely longer forearm. 



* Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) ii. p. 437 (1868). 



I 



