1897.] MALAGASY" GENUS BllACKYUJiOilYS. 697 



two ; the third upper one slightly triangular. Tbe pattern pre- 

 sented by the uniting of the three enamel-lobes is as follows in 

 moderately worn teeth. In the two anterior upper molars : — 

 (1) an anterior enamel loop, open on the inner side and running 

 obliquely across the crown, close up to the outer enamel margin 

 ol: the tooth ; (2) a posterior enamel islet, smaller in transverse 

 extent than the anterior loop and almost parallel to it. In the 

 last upper molar the anterior loop is shut out very soon from the 

 inner side, so that this tooth presents two obliquely transverse 

 enamel islets, with sometimes a third, smaller one, behind. In 

 moderately worn lower molars the shorter anterior loop opens on 

 the inner, the longer posterior loop on the outer side, the latter 

 remaining open for a longer time than the former. 



Dimensions in millimetres, those of the tirst two taken in the 



flesh :— 



Skin Skin Spirit-specimen 



(M.429),c5'. (M.509),c^. (M.181),jun. 

 Type. 



Length of head and body 165 162 c. 110 



tail 99 89 73 



„ manus 15 16 16 



pes 34 52 27 



„ ear 24 24 17 



Dimensions, in miUi metres, of the skull (M. 719, c? ) : — basal 

 length 32"5 ; length of nasals in middle line 13"5 ; length of 

 frontals in m. 1. 13"5 ; length of parietals in m. 1. 6"3 ; iuterorbital 

 breadth at narrowest 4-7 ; length of upper molar series 8'5 ; length 

 of lower series 8-5 ; length of interparietal in middle line 5'2 ; 

 breadth of skull between zygomatic arches 23-5. 



Loc. Ampitambe Forest, Betsimisaraka country (on the border 

 of N.E. Betsileo), 6 hours S.E. of Fandriana. — Ambohimitombo 

 Forest, Tanala country. 



Native names voalavoanala (i. e. forest rat); ramirohitra (meaning 

 probably : who goes in company, gregarious). Fossil in the lower 

 deposits of the Children's Cave (Sirabe). 



2. Beachtueomys betsileoe>-sis. (Plate XXXVII. fig. 1 and 

 Plate XXXIX. figs. 7, 8.) 



Nesomys betsileoensis, Bartlett (P. Z. S. London, 1879, p. 770). 



Resembling B. ramirohitra in outer appearance, but sinaller. 

 The brown of the upper parts of the previous species gives place 

 here to fawn, which, together with the black hairs, gives to the 

 upper part of the fur almost an olivaceous colour. 



Skull resembling that of B. ramirohitra, but parietal crests 

 nearly parallel ; interparietal longer in transverse, shorter in 

 longitudinal diameter. Molar teeth absolutely, as well as com- 

 paratively, smaller than in B. ramirohitra, though large as 

 compared to Muridae in general. Third upper molar small. 

 Enamel loops of all the moLnrs slightly less oblique than in the 



