1861.] ** NEW SPECIES OF MAMMALS." 275 



can procure the skull and skeleton, I have placed it in the genus 

 Cijnogale, to which it certainly bears a close resemblance ;" and, 

 again, " the teeth resemble those of the above genus of Gray, as 

 well as the general appearance ; but the size of the animal, the length 

 and character of the tail, and the habitat, indicate a distinct species." 



I may state that the animal has no relation to the genus Cynogale; 

 and, from the form of the feet, I suspect it is a Glirine and not a 

 Ferine animal — perhaps more allied to Fiber than Cynogale. I can- 

 not conceive that Mr. Du Chaillu's proposed name of Potamogale 

 has any claim to be adopted, as he gives n» clAracter to-jt, and the 

 description of the feet which he gives is very incorrect, and does not 

 at all fit the specimen ; so much so that, if the character of his genus 

 were drawn from his description, no one could recognize the animal, 

 especially as he does not know the toes from the claws ! 



His description is as follows : — " Extremities small, the first joint 

 enclosed withm the skin of the body ; feet five-toed, plantigrade be- 

 hind ; soles bare; claws curved and sharp; fore claws (!) very shghtly, 

 if at all, webbed ; hind claws (!) partially webbed, and the external 

 border of the tarsus fringed with a membrane ; tail stout, compressed 

 laterally, the terminal three-fourths sharp above, and at the end 

 below, terminating in a point." ^ \^^ 



I therefore propose that it should be called Mythoniys, which may flAA^p i^~ft^ 



be thus characterized : — Skull and teeth unknown. "Whiskers elon- — — — 



gate, rigid. Toes 5-5, compressed, elongate, free, except the two 

 middle toes of the hind feet, which are united together to the claws. 

 Tail thick, comj^ressed, covered with short adpressed hair, except at 

 the base and along the upper margin, where it is covered with elon- 

 gated, close, soft fur. ; Fur soft, with flattened, elongated hair, pro- 

 tluced beyond the fur as in Fiber and Castor, or Hydromys ; its tail 

 is very like Fiber, only much thicker and stronger. /;?, , yL_ 



Mythomys velox=Cynoyale velox, Du Chaillu. /•'"'Vyi?t¥>c- /^ 



Anomalurus beldeni, Du Chaillu, I. c. p. 303 ; Travels, p. 4^5 ,. ^/ , 



{notfy.). ^ A'/^/tf^/ 



This is Anomaluriis derhianus, Gray {A. fi-aseri) . 



The figure given as the species in the 'Travels,' p. 455. t. 70, is 

 copied from Ford's figure of A. heecroftii, Prcc. Zool. Soc. 1852 

 (MammaUa, PI. XXXII.). 



Anomalurus ? New species not yet described (Travels, 



Appendix) . 



There are two specimens so marked in the collection ; they are 

 ylnomaluriis beecroftii, Fraser, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1852, t. 32. 



The tails of the two specimens are short in the skins : but one is 

 imperfect, and the other has had the bones partly pulled out ; so that 

 the tail is apparently shorter than it really would be in the perfect 

 animal. 



These animals, which appear to be more alUed to Myoxus than Sciu- 

 rus, are nocturnal, and rest quiet during the day in dead trees. 



U 



