324 MR. o. THOMAS ON BATS [Mar. 15, 



This discovery and that of the highly interesting West-African 

 Megaloglossus ivoermanni, Pageust.\ of which I have seen a beauti- 

 ful spirit specimen from Liberia in the Leyden Museum, render the 

 synopsis of genera in Dr. Dobson's Catalogue of Chiroptera somewhat 

 obsolete, since, according to Dr. Dobson's synopsis, Nesomjeteris would 

 eome next to Notopteris and I^onycteris instead of to Melonycteris, 

 its nearest ally. I have therefore thought it convenient to draw up 

 the following synopses of the Macroglossine genera, the first based 

 solely on the soft-part and external characters, and the second on 

 those of the skull and teeth. 



I. External or Soft-part Characters. 



A. Tail very sbort ; wings from the sides of the back. 

 a. Wing-membrane from the base of the first toe ; 



no claw on index 1. EoNYCTERrs, 



h. Wing-membrane from the third, or second and 

 third toes. 

 a'. A claw on index. 



a". Posterior palate-ridges undivided 2. Macroglossus, 



h". Posterior palate-ridges divided in centre. 

 a'". Lower jjart of rhinariiim broad, convex 



laterally 3. Megaloglossus. 



h'". Lower part of rhinarium narrow, concave 



laterally 4. Melonycteris. 



h' . No claw on index. Palate-ridges and rhinarium 



as Melonycteris .5. Nesonycteeis. 



B. Tail long ; wings from centre of back ; no claw on 



index 6. Notopteris. 



II. Cranial and Dental Characters. 



A. Pm.^ above and below small, single-rooted. 



a. Penultimate molar many times as large as last 1. Eonycteris. 



b. Penultimate molar but little larger than last. 



a'. Vm.} nearly as large as that next behind it ; 



premaxilla; united 2. MacroglossuSv 



b'. Vn\} minute. 



a" . Middle premolar three fourths as long as the 



canine 3. Megaloglossus^. 



b". Middle premolar barely one third as long as 

 the canine ; premaxillaj separate . 



a'". Incisors I 4. Melonycteris. 



h'". Incisors Y 5. Nesonyctbris. 



B. Pm.i above and below long, double-rooted 6. Notopteris. 



7. Nesonycteris woodfordi, sp. n.' (Plate XXVI.) 



a. Ad. sk. $ . Fauro Island, 5/86. 



b, c. Ad. sk. d" and yg. al. Alu, Shortland Island, 4/86. 

 Strikingly like Melonycteris melanops\ Dobs., in size, proportions, 



shape and length of ears, and in the colour and texture of the fur of 



' JB. Hamb. ii. p. 125, pi. i. (1885). 



"^ For several details connected with the dentition of this interesting genus, 

 I am indebted to Dr. F. A. Jentink, of the Leyden Museum. 



^ Preliminary diagnosis jmblished. Aim. & Mag. N. H. (5) xix. p. 147, Feb. 1887. 

 ^ Figured, P". Z. S. 1877, pi. xvii. 



