17 



February 13th, 1838. 

 William Yarrell, Esq., in the Chair. 



Mr. Martin exhibited an insectivorous animal which had fallen un- 

 der his observation in examining a collection of specimens, presented 

 some time since to the Museum, by the late Wilham Telfair, Esq. 



In the Zoological Proceedings for 1833, reference is made to a 

 letter of Mr. Telfair's, accompanying a very young insectivorous 

 animal, known to the natives of Madagascar by the name " Sokinah," 

 and which Mr. Telfair was disposed to refer to the genus Centenes. 

 The above specimen being only seventeen days old, its characters 

 could not be satisfactorily determined; but the present animal, which 

 Mr. Martin considers to be the adult of the same species, appears 

 to be more nearly related to the genus Erinaceus than Centenes ; but 

 at the same time it differs so materially in the character of its denti- 

 tion, as to warrant the establishment of a new genus for its recejJtion . 

 Mr. Martin therefore proposed to characterize it under the generic 

 appellation of Echinops, with the specific title of E. Telfairi, in 

 memory of the lamented and zealous Corresponding Member of the 

 Society from whom it had been received. 



Echinops. 



Corpus supernfe spinis densis obtectum. 



Rostrum breviusculum. 



Rkinarium, aures, caudaque ut in Erinaceo. 



Dentes primores J, superiorum duobus intermediis longissimis, 

 discretis, cylindraceis, antrorstim versis ; proximis minoribus. 



Canini j^^. 



Molares j^; utrinsecus antico l™°suprk, et 3^"' infra spuriis ; re- 

 liquis, ultimo supra excepto, tricuspidatis, angustis, transversim 

 positis ; ultimo supra angustissimo ; molaribus infra inter se fere 

 sequalibus, ultimo minore. 



Pedes 5-dactyli, ambulatorii ; halluce breviore ; unguibus parvulis, 

 compressis ; plantis denudatis. 



Echinops Telfairi. Ech. auribus mediocribus, subrotundatis intiis 

 atque extHs pilis parvulis albidis obsitis ; capite superne pilisfus- 

 cis; buccis, mystacibus corporeque subtus sordide albis, spinis fus- 

 cescenti-albis ad basin, apicibus castanets ; caudd vix apparente. 



unc. lin. 



Longitudo corporis totius 5 2 



ab apice rostri ad auris basin . . 1 2 



tarsi, digitorumque ,, 10| 



■ auris ,, 5 



Habitat. Madagascar ? 



" Sokinah " of the Natives of Madagascar? 



No. LXII. — Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



