80 



ON THE NOMENCLATURE OF THE INDIAN 

 HEDGEHOGS. 



BY 



R. C. Wroughton, F.Z.S. 



Recently in naming some hedgehogs presented to the National 

 Collection, by Major Dunn, R.A.M.C, from Multan, I had occasion tc 

 o-o through the whole of the material available for examination in the 

 Collection of the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. This 

 material is far too incomplete to admit of any revision of the Genus. 

 My study of the literature, however, has shown many points on which 

 the nomenclature adopted by Blanford in his Fauna requires correc- 

 tion, and these I think it well to place on record. 



First however, I would call the attention of members to a few 

 points on which information is specially required. 



Two species (spatangus and grayi) were described by Bennett from 

 the "Himalayas 5 ' in 1832, and in 1843 Gray founded mentalis on a 

 specimen from the same locality. In the latter case there is reason to 

 believe that the label-locality was wrong ; was it so also in the former 

 case ? Is any species of hedgehog found in the Himalayas ? 



Two species of hedgehog, with the middle upper existing premolar 

 (the 5th tooth from the back, the 6th from the front) showing a 

 tendency to disappear, are found one in the north (Kach, Rajputana 

 and Lower Sind), the other in the south (Madras). Js it a fact that 

 in the southern species the zygomatic arch is always imperfect ? 



Is no species of hedgehog found in the Dekhan, i, e., between 

 Rajputana and the Madras Presidency ? * 



What exactly is E. collaris ? Specimens of varying ages from the 

 type locality, i. e., Doab (this apparently means the area between the 

 rivers Jumna and Ganges) can alone satisfactorily settle this question. 



The following are the corrections in the nomenclature of Blanford's 

 " Mammalia " which seem to be required. 



* It is hoped that members will respond to Mr. Wroughton' s appeal and send specimens 

 of "Hedgehogs to our Museum. Hedgehogs may be easily captured alive and probably a small 

 reward offered to cultivators for live specimens would result in many being obtainad. 

 They can then be forwarded alive and this Society would convert them into specimens thus 

 saving members the trouble of skinning them. — Eds. 



