252 Mr. O. Thomas on the 



other forms, especially posteriorly, where the dark tone of 

 the hinder back and thighs grades into the dark of the feet, 

 instead of being contrasted witii them. Head like body. 

 Dark orbital rings scarcely perceptible. Hairs on back of 

 ears not darker than those on rest of head. Hands and feet 

 wholly dark brown or black. 



Hab. Java. Specimens examined from Preanger and 

 Buitenzorg. 



XXXIX. — The Nomenclature of the Flying-Lemurs. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



In the * Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington ' 

 Mr. G. S. Miller* has recently drawn attention to the 

 unfortunate fact, first published by Palmer, that the well- 

 known name of Galeopithecus is antedated by CynocephaluSy 

 each name having the same type, the Lemur volans of 

 Linnseus. 



But the conclusions drawn by Mr. Miller as to the con- 

 sequent names of the family and its two constituent genera 

 are, as I believe, all invalidated by the important fact that 

 the type locality of Linnteus's Lemur volans is the Philippines, 

 and that therefore the name volans and the many generic 

 names based on it, Cynocephalus^ Galeopithecus, Galeopus, 

 Dermopterus, and Pleuropterus f, are, like Colugo, all appli- 

 cable to the Philippine form and not to the Malayan one. 



The references are as follows : — 



Xemwr volans, Linu. Syst. Nat. (10) i. p. 30 (1758), ex Petiver, Bontius, 

 and Seba. The quotations being : — 



Cato-Simius volans camelli, Pet.(iver), Gaz.(ophylacii Naturae et Artis), 

 t. 9. f. 8 (1702) ; and Act. Angl. 277. n. 1065 ( = Phil. Trans. Roy. 

 Soc. pt. 277, included in vol. xxiii. 1704). 



Vespertilio admirabilis, Bont.(ius), Java, p. 68 (1658). 



Felis volans ternatea, Seba, Mus. 1. p. 93, pi. 58. figs. 2 & 3 (1735), 



Of the three authors quoted, Petiver has to be taken as the 

 primary one, both because I consider it compulsory to take 

 the first one (except when Linnaeus quotes his own earlier 

 works) and also, in this case, because the localities given by 

 Bontius and Seba (Guzerat and Ternate respectively) are 



* P. Biol. Soc. Wash. xix. p. 41 (1906). 



t An additional name, Galeolemur, has been formed in the group, 

 based on Temminck's " Galeopithecus macriirus " from Ceylon. But this 

 animal proves, as might have been expected from its locality, to 

 have been a Flying-Squii-rel {Petaurista). Cf. Schlegel, Men. Singes 

 pp. 335-6 (1876). 



