January 23. 

 Richard Owen, Esq., in the Chair. 



A selection of the Mammalia procured by Captain Alexander du- 

 ring his recent journey into the country of the Damaras, on the South 

 West Coast of Africa, was exhibited, and Mr. Ogilby directed the 

 attention of the Society to the new a nd rare species which it con- 

 tained. \ 



Among the former were the Herpestes melanurus and Cynictis 

 Ogilbii of Dr. Smith', the Canis megalotis, &c. The latter consisted 

 of five new species, which Mr. Ogilby characterized a'sToBows : 



Macroscelides Alexandri. Fur long and fine, very dark blue- 

 black at the root, but pointed with pale sandy-red above, and white 

 beneath; ears pretty large, subelUptical, and red behind; whole under 

 lip red ; tarsi white ; tail long, hairy, and very much attenuated : 

 length 5|- inches ; tail 4| inches. 



Macroscelides melanotis. Of a rather larger size than the for- 

 mer, with large head, dark brown or black ears, rather sandy under 

 lip, dunnish white throat and abdomen, but pale reddish brown chest ; 

 colour of the upper parts much the same, but rather more ashy ; tarsi 

 light brown ; tail mutilated : length 6 inches. 



Chrysochloris Damarensis. Brown, wath a silvery lustre both above 

 and below ; a yellowish white semicircle extends from eye to eye, 

 under the chin, covering the whole of the cheeks, lips and lower jaw ; 

 a very marked character which, as well as the peculiar shade of the 

 colour, readily distinguishes it from the new species described by Dr. 

 Smith : no tail : length 4^ inches. 



Bathyergus Damarensis. A species intermediate in size between 

 Capensis and Hottentotus : colour uniform reddish brown both above 

 and below, with a large irregularly square white mark on the occiput, 

 much larger than in Hottentotus, and another on each side of the neck 

 just under the ears ; these two meet on the throat, which is thus 

 covered with dirty dunnish white ; tail, a large flat stump covered 

 with coarse reddish brown bristles, which stand out from it in aU 

 directions like radii ; paws reddish brown : length 8;^^ inches ; tail 

 |- inch*. 



Graphiurus elegans. Smaller than Graph. Capensis of Cuv., and 

 of a purer and deeper ash colour above ; the chin, throat, and cheeks 

 are covered by a large patch of pure white, the rest of the under sur- 

 face is mixed grey and ash, and all the tarsi and paws pure white : 

 there is a mark of the same colour above and in front of each ear, 

 and an obhque white stripe runs from the throat backwards over the 



• This specimen, and the Macroscelides melanotis, were purchased for 

 the British Museum, and the remaining three species for the Museum of 

 the Zoological Society at the sale of Capt. Alexander's Collection, March 8, 

 1838. 



