388 Mr. 0. Thomas on 



as they are in size and habitat, undoubtedly have a certain 

 agreement in the shape of their skulls and teeth, so that 

 their common non-possession of claws is evidently a genuine 

 connecting character, and not a parallelism, as was formerly 

 supposed to be the case. 



Descriptions of a new subspecies of Aonyx and of the 

 South-American species of the Lutra platensis group follow. 



Aonyx capensis angolce, subsp. n. 



External characters much as in true capensis, though with 

 rather a greater tendency to a whitening of the bases of the 

 wool-hairs. Hairs of head and nape tipped with whitish. 

 Ears with light edges. Hairs of chin and throat white to 

 their bases, the brown round the angles of the mouth at a 

 minimum. Second and third phalanges of fingers quite 

 naked above. 



Skull indicating affinity with capensis and nienelekl rather 

 than with kindei, agreeing with the two former by its 

 greater size, as judged by length, its large flattened bullae, 

 and other characters. But it is conspicuously narrower in 

 every breadth-measurement, the difference being so great as 

 quite to alter the general proportions of the skull. Unfor- 

 tunately the typical skull is that of a female, and allowance 

 for this has to be made in comparing it with the other skulls 

 and with those measured by Dr. Lonnberg. Interorbital 

 reoion narrow, the interorbital breadth only about three 

 fourths of that in a male capensis, the difference against the 

 female being only about one-ninth in a pair of hindei. Post- 

 orbital processes little developed, not projecting more than in 

 a female hindei. Brain-case elongate-oval, longer and less 

 broadened posteriorly and externally than in any others of 

 the present group, its sides, when viewed from behind, more 

 nearly vertical than in the other forms ; its surface smooth 

 and little ridged, though there is a fairly distinct median 

 crest, and the lambdoid crests are well developed, meeting the 

 saoittal one at a well-marked re-entrant angle. Zygomata 

 unusually little spread, the zygomatic actually less than the 

 mastoid breadth, while even the latter breadth is markedly 

 less than in the allied forms. Bullae broad and low, a single 

 large foramen on the inner edge of each. Molars large and 

 heavy, as in true capensis. 



Total length, measured in flesh, 1270 mm., of which, 

 judging from skin, the proportions would appear to be 

 about : — 



Head and body 800 mm. ; tail 470. 



