870 MR. OLDFIELD THOMAS ON A NEW [DeC. 17, 



When recently examining the specimens of this Antelope in the 

 British Museum, Herr Oscar Neumann had come to the same 

 conclusion, and had affixed to one of them the MS. name Cohus 

 ihomasi, under which he px'oposed to describe it. 



The future name of the so-called Kob of British East Africa 

 would be therefore Cobus thomccsi, Neumann, 



The following papers were read : — 



1. On Ccenolestes, a still Existing Survivor of the Epanorthidee 

 of Ameghino, and the Representative of a new Family 

 of recent Marsupials. By Oldfield Thomas, F.Z.S. 



[Receiyed November 11, 1895.] 

 (Plate L.) 



In the 'Proceedings' of the Society for 1860 \ Mr. E, P. Tomes, 

 in working out a collection of small mammals obtained by 

 Mr. Louis Fraser in Ecuador, published the first notice of the 

 genus which forms the subject of the present paper. He spoke 

 of his specimen as "a small animal about the size of a Water- 

 Shrew," but " having a small and rudimentary pouch," and three 

 years later ^ gave a technical description of it under the name of 

 Myracodon fuliginosus. 



This technical description was unfortunately unaccompanied by 

 anv remarks ou the relationships of the animal, a want which has 

 made itself felt by the entire failure of later authors to make out 

 from the description what animal Mr. Tomes had before him. 



In fact I only know of two references to Hyracodon at all (those 

 mentioned in the footnote ^), and in both the authors express their 

 inability to make anything of the description, although the first- 

 named acutely suggested that the animal " might represent a 

 distinct family," a suggestion most fully borne out by an exami- 

 nation of the specimen I now have the honour of bringing before 

 the Society. 



In vindication of Mr. Tomes's paper I should like to say, firstly, 

 that his description, hitherto supposed (from our ignorance of any 

 such animal) to be imperfect or incorrect, proves to agree, so far 

 as it goes, very closely with the present specimen; and secondly, that 

 remarks on the affinities of the animal must have been at that 

 date more easily wanted than given, since even now, with infinitely 

 greater material and the best of advice *, I am unable to be at all 



1 P. Z. S. 1860, p. 213. 



2 P. Z. S. 1863, p. 50, pi. viii. (animal). 



3 Alston, Biol. Centr.-Am., Mamm. p. 195 (footnote), 1880 ; Thomas, Cat 

 Mars. B. M. p. 370 (1880). 



■* I would specially mention my indebtedness to Mr. R. Lydekker, whose 

 own extreme interest in the present animal has expressed itself in abundant 

 and most serviceable help to me in working it out. 



