Mammals from East Africa. 5G7 



Taterona cosensi, sp. n. 



A species with long untufted tail and short posterior palatal 

 foramina. 



Colour above ochraceous- buff modified by black. Bellj- 

 liairs white to the base. Feet white. Tail short-haired, 

 brown above, white below, with none of the long black hairs 

 of more northern forms. 



Tyjye. Adult female. B.M. no. 20. 6. 10. 44. Collector's 

 number 1071. Collected by Mr. H. H. Swinny on 10th July, 

 1919, and presented to the British Museum by Col. G. P. 

 Cosens. 



Type-locality. Vihingo, near Riivu Station, on the railway 

 some 40 miles inland from Dar-es~Salaam. There are to 

 hand eight specimens from the type-locality and six from 

 Kisserawe Mission between Ruvu and Dar-es-Salaara. 



Measurements of the type (taken in the flesh) : — 



Head and body 158 mm.; tail 179; hind foot 35: 

 ear 21. 



Average measurements of thirteen specimens : — 



Head and body 158 mm. ; tail 173 ; hind foot 34*4 ; 

 ear 20-7. 



Skull', greatest length 43*4 mm. ; condylo-incisive 39*2; 

 condylo-basal 39' 7 ; basal 37*1; basilar 33'5 ; condylo- 

 basilar 35'8 ; palatal 23*7 ; palatilar 20*3; anterior palatal 

 foramina 8'5 ; posterior 1*5 ; space between anterior and 

 posterior palatal foramina 5"0 ; zygomatic breadth 22*7 ; 

 interorbital breadth 7*2 ; breadth of brain-case 17'5 ; nasals 

 on median line 16*9 ; bullse 12*0 ; length of upper molar 

 series 7*0. The average condylo-incisive length of the skulls 

 of eleven adult specimens is 38"3 mm. 



Dorsal aspect of skull flattened. Groove of incisors well 

 marked. 



T. cosensi is externally in colour and appearance very like 

 T. inclusa from the Gorongoza District of Portuguese East 

 Africa, but is distinguished from that species by the much 

 smaller hind foot and the large swollen bullse. 



Since the late Mr. R. C. Wroughton wrote his monograph 

 on the genus Tatera* a large number of skins and skulls of 

 the African genus Taterona have been added to the British 

 Museum collection. In the preparation of the present paper 

 I have gone through all this material, and take this oppor- 



* Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (7) xvii. p. 474 (May 1900). 



