A Second Species of the Carnivorous Genus Nandinia. 205 



XXXII. — Description of a Second Species of the Carnivorous 

 Genus Nandinia,/rom Southern Nyassaland. By Oldfield 

 Thomas. 



In connexion with the working out of the fine series of Nyassa 

 Mammals now being sent to the National Museum bj Mr. H. 

 H. Johnston, occasion has arisen for the examination of a 

 couple of specimens of Nandinia from the same region, col- 

 lected on the river Shird by Sir John Kirk when with the 

 Livingstone Expedition of 1863. The two specimens are 

 flat skins of adult and young, and a comparison of them with 

 the West-African N. hinotata shows that they are, as might 

 be expected from their locality, quite different specifically from 

 that animal. 



The species may be briefly diagnosed as follows : — 



Nandinia Gerrardi^ sp. n. 



Similar to N. hinotata in size and general colour, but the 

 three prominent black lines on the dorsal aspect of the neck 

 in that animal are entirely absent, the body is more sparsely 

 and finely spotted, and the transverse black markings on the 

 tail are narrower, closer together, and more sharply defined. 

 -The tail, also, of the type is considerably shorter than in 

 N. hinotata, but may be imperfect, so that no stress can be 

 laid on this character. Back of ears concolorous with rest of 

 head. Yellowisli spots on withers present, but indistinct. 



Hah. Lower Shire Kiver, Nyassaland. Type B. M. 64. 1. 

 9. L 



Sir John (or, as he then was, Dr.) Kirk has labelled the type 

 specimen as follows : — 



" Skin of ' Nthoro '• — an animal eating mice, poultry, &c., 

 and living in the Lov/er Shire Valley. June 186 L" 



It is with great pleasure that I have applied to this very 

 distinct animal the name of my old friend Mr. Edward 

 Gerrard, long the right-hand man of Dr. Gray, whose services 

 in the Museum now extend over more than 50 years, and to 

 whose kindness and intimate knowledge of the J\Iuseum Col- 

 lection of Mammals every worker in that collection, and 

 most of all I myself, have been so largely and constantly 

 indebted. 



The discovery of second species to previously monotypic 

 genera is always a matter of interest, while the extreme rarity 

 of new species of Garni vora lends additional importance to 

 the recognition of so striking a species as Nandinia Gerrardi. 



