1900.] MAMMALS FEOM MOUNT KENYA. 177 



forehead deep rufous brown ; area round eyes blackish. Ears of 

 medium size, the hairs of their backs dark brown, those on the 

 edges and inner surface buffy yellow ; a blackish patch on the sides 

 of the neck just below the ears, owing to the black ends to the 

 hairs at this point. Under surface buffy yellow ; on the chin and 

 throat the hairs are only tipped with this colour, but on the chest 

 and belly they are buffy to their bases. Upper surface of hands 

 and feet grizzled yellowish brown ; inner sides of limbs like belly. 



Skull stout and heavy, with a broad flat shield- like frontal 

 region. On the whole it is closely similar to that of P. abyssinica \ 

 though averaging a little larger. Interparietal sutures persistent. 

 Temporal fosste extending to the hinder end of the skull. 

 Diastema 10 to 12 mm. in length. Molars hypiodont, as usual in 

 this section of the genus. 



Dimensions of the type, an adult male, measured in skin and 

 therefore only approximate : — Head and body ob'5 mm. ; hind 

 foot 70. 



Skull (stage viii.) : basal length 94 ; greatest breadth 58'5 : 

 nasals 30 x 25 ; intertemporal breadth 27 - 5 ; length of upper 

 tooth-series (p. 1 to m. 3 ) 41; greatest breadth of m. 1 7'7 : height 

 of crown of m. 3 (in another, younger specimen) 7*9 ; length of 

 p., (of another specimen) 3"2. 



Type. Male. B.M. No. 0.2.1.35. Collected Sept. 3, 1899. 



This fine Dassy is clearly a mountain representative of the 

 P. jucJcsoni of Kikuyu, from which it differs by its larger size, 

 longer form, more abundant underfur, paler colour, and the 

 greater distinctness of the post-auricular black spot. 



During his famous East African expedition of 1S93, Dr. J. W. 

 Gregory picked up in Hohnel Yalley, 12,000 ft., a bleached skull 

 of this species, but without the skin it was impossible to 

 determine it. It was, however, provisionally referred to the 

 Abyssinian P.shoaua, a species of the black-backed section — a fact 

 which shows how closely these species, so readily distinguishable 

 externally, resemble each other in their cranial characters. 



In the good series of skulls obtained by Mr. Mac-kinder, four 

 males and three females (to which may be added the male skull 

 brought home by Dr. Gregory), there is a decided difference between 

 the sexes in the size of the skull, all the male skulls being longer, 

 broader, and more heavily built than the female ones. The basal 

 lengths are as follows: — d* 94 mm., 92-5, 90-5, 90, 87; 2,34, 

 81-5, 74 (young). 



The members of this group being essentially Rock-Dassies, not 

 occurring in forest country, it is probable that the Kenya species 

 will prove to be isolated by the zone of forest which surrounds 

 the mountains at about 8000-10,000 ft. Besides Mr. Jackson's 

 specimens from Ravine Station, no member of the group has been 

 found in any other part of East Africa, nor are they known 

 further to the south. 



i Cf. Monograph, P. Z. S. 1892, p. 64. 

 Pitoc. Zool. Soc— 1900, No. XII. 12 



