" G round-flogs " or " Cane-Rata " of Africa. 301 



zygomatic breadtli 50 ; iiiterorbitiil breadth 25; upper cheek- 

 tuotb seiies IG'5. 



//u^. Lower W'ello River, Congo. 



Ti/ije. Adult nuile. B.M. no. 7. 7. 8. l'J2. Original 

 niinil)er 6-1. C'oilectetl 2iid November, lii05, by Capt. G. IJ. 

 Gosling. Presented by the Alexandei-Gosling Expedition, 



This Cane-ltat is readily distint^uishable from harrisoni 

 aud rulschuriciis by its much jniler cuiour. Being a female— 

 the only adult female Cliceromys in ihe collection, — any 

 useful compuiison with the skull.s of other species is imprac- 

 ticable, but the geneial shape of the skull is as in C. harrisoni. 



In Thryonomys projier there seem to be very few diffe- 

 ritices, cranial or external, between specimens from tlie 

 different districts, widely as the whole groU[) ranges. 



Oiiginally Temminck's tyj^e was young aud witliout 

 locality, so that when, in 1831, a Sierra Leone specimen was 

 idi nliHed with it by Bennett, that place was rightly accepted 

 as the type-locality, and should be so treated. 



From this north-western form I can distingui>h, as a sub- 

 Sj)ecies, the common animal ot the major part of Africa, from 

 Uganda and the Upper Congo to the Cape, for which a name 

 is available given by Peters solely as a synonym^ but with 

 enough description to make it valid. Then the forms of the 

 Lower Niger and Angola may also be subspecifically recog- 

 nized, making four in all. 



These may be briefly diagnosed as follows : — 



Thryonomys swindtrianus swinderianus, Temm. 



Temrainck, Mon. Mamm. i. p. 245 (1827j ; Benuett, P. Z. S. 1831, 

 p. 111. 



Size rather less than in the common form. (Jolour n)ore 

 ilrabby brown, with less contrast between body and rump. 

 Skull smaller, with a medium amount of development of the 

 posterior intertempural gutters. 



Hah. N.W. Africa, from Gambia to Northern Nigeria. 



Thryonomys sicinderianus variegatus, Peters. 



Aulacodus varityiitus, Peters, Reise Mossamb. p. 138 (18.52). 

 Aiilaiodui semipahnatus, Ileu<.'l. N. Act. Ac. Leop. xxxi. p. 5 (1864). 

 Aulacodut culamophaytis, de Beerst., Pousarg, liuJl. 31us. Paris, 1897, 

 p. 160. 



Size largest. Colour very coarsely variegated, tlie Lead 

 and fore-back brown, the rump more buffy. Skull large and 



