1895.] THE MAMM.U>S OV ADE>'. 549 



21. G-EEBILLTJS (DlPODILLTJS) P(ECILOPS, Sp. n. 



a-c. Lahej. 20-29. III. 95. 



d-ff. Shaik Othman. 2-3. lY. 95. 



Size medium among Gerbilles in general ; trunk larger than in 

 O. campestris ; but ears, feet, and tail shorter, the feet especially 

 bearing to the size of the head and body the proportion found in 

 Mus rather than GerbUlus. Fur short, soft, and sleek. General 

 colour rich fawn, rather greyer on the back, brighter on the sides. 

 Face with the usual supraorbital and post-auricular white patches 

 very prominent ; white of the lips and chin ascending on tht* 

 cheeks nearly to the lower eyelid. On the top of the nose a 

 distinct black patch. Ears very small and narroWj laid forwards 

 in a spirit-specimen they only just reach to the posterior canthus 

 of the eye ; the anterior half of their outer surfaces thinly haired, 

 fawn, the remainder naked ; a large naked patch on the sides of 

 the head behind and below their outer bases. Under surface, 

 whole of fore limbs, front of hind limbs, and top of feet pure 

 white. Palms as usual in the subgenus. Soles wholly naked, 

 granulated distally, with six pads, as in typical Dipodilhm, but the 

 two proximal pads exceedingly small. Tail short, little, if at all, 

 longer than the head and body ; the hairs of its upper surface 

 brown or black, not or scarcely elongated terminally, of its sides 

 and lower surface white. 



Skull strongly built, with heavy overhanging supraorbital ridges, 

 somewhat like those of many Meriones, and forming rudimentary 

 postorbital processes. Bullae rather large, about as in average 

 specimens of " Heiulempleura." Molars small and delicate. 



Dimensions of an adult male, preserved in spirit : — 



Head and body LOTmillim.; taill(»9; hind foot 23-5 ; ear 11 x 7*7. 



Skull (of the type) : basal length 26-2 ; greatest length in middle 

 line 30 "5 ; zygomatic breadth (c.) 17'2 ; nasals 11-5 x 3*4; inter- 

 orbital breadth 5*9 ; tip to tip of postorbital processes 10*3 ; 

 interparietal 3-3 x 68 ; palate length from henselion 14 ; diastema 

 8*5 ; palatal foramina 4*5 ; upper molar series 3*6 ; greatest oblique 

 diameter of bullae 1 1 . 



Type. Skin c. B. M. Xo. 95.6.1.64. 



This species differs so widely from all others known to us that 

 we are unable to say what is its nearest ally. Its unusual pro- 

 portions, its short ears, feet, and tail, compared vidth its heavy head 

 and body, render it quite unlike the ordinary graceful Gerbilles. It 

 wiU be seen from the measurements that the hind foot is actually 

 shorter than the basal length of the skull, while in all other 

 Gerbilles known to us it is longer. 



With regard to its subgenus, we think that the characters of 

 this and the next species render the distinction of Hendecapleura 

 from Bipodillus exceedingly doubtfid, as both present, with six 

 posterior pads, the larger bullae characteristic of Hendecapleura. 

 While doubtful about this point, however, we should like to say a 

 word of appreciation of Lataste's remarkable, and, we believe, 



