SCIENTIFIC EESV ITS FROM THE MAMMAL SURVEY, rm 



Bah.— Assam. Type from Cherrapunji. Alt 4 500' 



P i^^^rrf A^ Ta^n ?• ^i l^' JO-ll-l-77-Original number 563-1 

 Collected 4 May 1920 by H. W. WeU.. Presented to the National 

 Museum by the Bombay Natural History Society. 



No. XXVI. 

 By 



R. C. Wkoughton. 



(A). A NEW TREE-SHREW. 



Among the subspecies of Tupaia belangeri are siccala, a form from 

 the dry zone of Upper Burma, and more recent yunalis, from Mong- 

 Tsze, Yunnan (A. M. N. H. 8, xiii, p. 244,1914). Both these have 

 white neck stripes, by which they are distinguishable from belangeri 

 chinensis in which the neck stripe is yellow, but yunalis is at 

 once recognisable by its excessively dark colour. In a collection 

 made by Mr. J. P. Mills, at Mokokchung, Naga Hills (wliich will 

 be reported on in due course in conj miction with the Survey collec- 

 tion from Upper Assam) I have found a form which bears the same 

 likeness to chinensis as yunalis does to siccata, and seems to me to be 

 worthy of subspecific distinction. I propose to call it : — 



Tupaia helangeei assameksis, subsp. nov. 



A Tupaia somewhat resembling T. h. yunalis at first sight but 

 apparently slightly larger in size, with rather shorter fur and more 

 fulvous coloration, especially on the undersurface. 



Size apparently somewhat larger than in yunalis, judging by the 

 skull, for no measurements were recorded by the Collector, and even 

 the length of the hindfoot is not obtainable, the bone having been 

 removed. The general colour above is nuich as in yimalis. the indi- 

 vidual hairs of the back (excluding the scattered long all-black hairs) 

 are slaty black with a tip and a sub-terminal ring (divided by a slaty 

 ring) fulvous (each 1mm.) ; in assamensis these fulvous markings 

 are darker, more rufous, with the result that the general aspect 

 is duller, more sombre. The fur is shorter (8—1 Omni). The 

 underside of the bodv is fulvous, not " grey washed with ^\hltlsh ". 

 The neck stripes are "well defined and fulvous, not " inconspicuous 

 dull whitish " as in yunalis. 



Dimensions :—Vniovt\in3itely no measurements were recorded 

 bv Mr. Mills, but comparing the made up specimens of the two species 

 one gets the impression that assamensis is somewhat the larger. 



Sjctdl :— (The measurements of the type of yunalis in brackets). 

 Condylo-basal length 47ram. (45) ; zygomatic breadth 25 (24); bram- 

 case breadth 21 (19) ; maxillary tooth row 18 (16-5).^ 



Hab .-—Naga Hills. Type from Mokokchung, 5,000 . 



