EXTERNAL CHARACTERS. 257 
prevailingly white, and almost unworn, the longest reaching 44 to 47 mm. on 
the rump. The coarse brown hair which covers the upper part of the body 
rather thickly, has the appearance of being much worn and broken allowing 
the spines to project nearly their entire length, with the result that the animal 
appears much more spiny than those in which the hair is unworn and coyers the 
bases of the spines. 
Two specimens from Sorong, New Guinea (M. C. Z. 7,009, 7,010), presented 
by Dr. Thomas Barbour, agree in having the hair of the body nearly coal-black, 
with the bases more or less brownish. The larger spines vary from dark horn 
color to blackish, the smaller ones are entirely black save for a few very small 
spines on the occiput which are white. The venter is nearly free from spines. 
It seems evident from a study of the material in the collection of the Mu- 
seum, that the characters claimed for the races nigroaculeata and goodfellowi 
are individual or the result of age and wear. Moreover no geographical limits 
are established for these variations. So, unless other and more distinctive 
characters can be found, it seems unnecessary to consider these as valid races. 
With regard to the race villosissima there seems also room for much doubt. 
The original specimen described by Dubois (1884) appears from its measure- 
ments to have been immature, which would account for its short and nearly 
straight rostrum. The chief character claimed for it is the long and woolly 
hair, completely hiding the spines except on the sides of the neck and in the 
caudal region. It appears, however, that the longest spines did not exceed 
19 mm., which is about half the length of those of adult bruzjniv. 
The collection of the Museum contains a Proechidna from Mt. Arfak, 
M. C. Z. 7,397, the type locality of bruijnii, that agrees with the description 
of willosissima in having the pelage notably thick and woolly. The spines, 
however, are slightiy longer than described for villosissima (21 to 24 mm.) and 
although most prominent on the shoulders and rump, project slightly above 
the hairy coat. They are black, or black with light tips, instead of white as 
described. The skull shows the specimen to be very immature, and it is un- 
doubtedly the youngest of the eight skulls examined. In almost every respect 
it is identical with immature skulls of bruczjniz, but differs from all those studied 
in that the anterolateral terminations of the large interparietal are each in 
contact with one of the nasals. In the four other specimens of bruijnii in which 
these bones are still traceable, the interparietal does not abut against the 
nasals, although in two cases, the distance separating the two bones is not over 
5 mm. Probably therefore this character is merely individual. Rothschild 
