36 Dr. J. E. Gray on the Species o/'Hyrax. 



not applicable to the African animal to which Bruce gave the 

 name of Ashkoko (" coloured like a wild rabbit, and white 

 beneath "), and which has a yellow dorsal streak. Capt. 

 Harris, who collected animals in Abyssinia, sent home several 

 specimens of a large blackish Hyrax having a large black 

 dorsal spot and grey beneath, which he says is called Ashkoko 

 by the natives ; but it can scarcely be the Ashkoko of Brace, 

 as it does not agree with either his description or figure : 

 perhaps this name is generic. Hyrax is also called Gike in 

 Abyssinia, according to Salt. 



Mr. Tristram informs us that the Hyrax in Palestine and 

 Sinai is called Weher^ and Thofun in Southern Arabia. Bruce 

 evidently confounds these Hy races together as one species. 



Several zoologists have doubted whether the Ashkoko of 

 Bruce was distinct from Hyrax cajjensis : no one can doubt the 

 fact who compares the two. But the large blackish animal 

 which is also found in Abyssinia, and called by the same 

 name as Bruce applies to his species, is so like the^. capensis 

 that it would be doubtful if it is a distinct species, if there 

 were not such a difference in the skull. Hemprich and Ehren- 

 berg regard it as distinct, and call it H. hahessinicus. 



Hemprich and Ehrenberg, in the ^ Symbolge Physicse,' de- 

 scribed and characterized by their colours and osteological 

 characters four species of Hyrax ^ viz. : — 1. H. capensis^ 2. H. 

 syriacus vel sinaiticns^ 3. H. hahessinicus^ 4. H. ruficeps vel 

 dongolicus. They figure three ; for the dark animal figured 

 with H. syriacus represents a young Hyrax hahessinicus. 



There is no specimen in the British Museum that has a red 

 head, although Prof. Ehrenberg called one of his species H. 

 ruficeps ; but I think that probably he gave that name to the 

 species which we received from Dr. Rllppell as H. ahyssimcus, 

 and which I believe to be the Ashkoko of Bruce. 



There are specimens of four distinct species in the British 

 Museum that have a more or less distinct yellow dorsal streak ; 

 and there is another, discovered by Dr. Welwitsch. Four came 

 from Africa, and one from Arabia in Asia. They differ from 

 each other in the texture and the general colour of the fur and 

 of the hairs of which it is composed. Most probably two of 

 these are the species with yellow dorsal spots, characterized by 

 Hemprich and Ehrenberg, viz. Hyrax syriacus or sinaiticus of 

 Asia, and H. ruficeps vel dongolicus of Africa. 



Two of these species have rather harsh rigid hairs. 



Three specimens of the first were sent from Upper Egypt 

 by Mr. James Burton. They are larger in size and much 

 paler in colour than the other species of tlie group, and 

 very slightly piinctulated with black. They have the dorsal 



