Dv, J. E. Gray on the Species o/'Hyrax. 47 



Euhyrax ahyssinicus. 



Fur blackish, minutely punctulated with white, with a black 

 dorsal spot. 



Hyrax habessynicus, Hemp. & Elirenb. Sym. Phys. (specific characters). 



Hyrax ahyssinicus, Gieber, Mam. 213. 



H. syriacus, Plemp. &. Elirenb. Symb. Phys. t. 2 (hinder figures only). 



Hah. Abyssinia, Ankober, Dec. 1847 (male and female) ; 

 called " Ashkoko " (Capt, Cornwallis Harris). B.M. 



Ehrenberg describes the interparietal of //. capensis as tri- 

 gonal, and of //. hahessinicus as semiorbicular, and the space 

 between the canine and grinders of H. hahessinicus as being 

 longer than in H. cape/iisis ; he also says that the fur of H. 

 capensis is soft, and of H. hahessinicus more rigid ; but I can- 

 not discover any appreciable difference in this respect between 

 the Cape and the Abyssinian species. 



The skull of the adult Euhyrax ahyssinicus^ from the Abys- 

 sinian skin, is larger than that of any species of Hyrax, and 

 nearly as large as that of Dendrohyrax dorsalis ; it is narrow, 

 and the smooth space on the crown is linear, of nearly equal 

 width from a line on a level with the front of the condyles. 



The second skull (from the skeleton No. 724 a) which I be- 

 lieve to belong to this species, has decayed grinders, having 

 been kept in confinement. It is very like the type specimen, 

 but it is rather shorter, and the hinder part of the crown or 

 sagittal crest is narrower. This skull is exceedingly like the 

 skull figured with its skeleton under the name of Hyrax sy- 

 riacus by M. de Blainville (Ost^ograph. t. 1 & 2). It differs 

 from the figure a little in the form of the process of the lower 

 jaw in front of the condyle ; but in this respect it also differs 

 from the type specimens of Euhyrax ahyssinicus. In both 

 skulls the upper edge of the occipital bone is narrow, as in 

 Hyrax. 



Dr. Peters has, since the above was written, sent me the 

 following observations on Professor Ehrenberg's specimen in 

 the Berlin Museum : — " H. hahessinicus is a very good species, 

 and may prove to be the same as the H. dorsalis. There is a 

 figure of a younger specimen in his work ' Symbolse Physicse,' 

 Mammalia, pi. 2. f. 2, together with H. syriacus. As you will 

 see from the text, the skull is quite different from that of 

 H. capensis, H. syriacus [ruficeps), and H. arhoreus. The 

 zygomatic arch is lower than on its junction with the zygo- 

 matic process of the maxillary bones ; but the teeth are small, 

 as in H. arhoreus. The hair is harsh, black and grey ; and the 

 hair of the belly is much shorter, greyish, sometimes yellowish, 

 without soft fur." 



