190 MR. OLDFIELD THOMAS ON [Nov. 15, 



Sylvtsorex Tiios. 



Sylvisorex Thos. Abstr. P. Z. S. 1904, No. 10, p. 12, Nov. 22. 



Type. Crocidura morio Gray. 



African Shrews with white teeth, foui- upper uniciispids, normal 

 mandibular dentition, and a short-haired tail without the long 

 ]>i'istle-hairs characteristic of Crocidura. 



In 1887* Dr.G. E.Dobson, Avhen describing from the Oameroons 

 the pigmy Shrew now fovmd by Mr. Seimund in Fernando Po, 

 included it together with Gray's Crocidura morio in the genvis 

 Myosorex, a genus founded foi- the South- African /Sorex varius 

 Smuts. The lattei' animal, howevei*, is remarkable for the 

 possession of a minute extiu tooth in the lower jaw, as discovered 

 and described by Dobson ; and this character I think of such 

 importance as to necessitate the species which do not possess it, 

 but are in other respects allied to Myosorex, having a special 

 generic name. This new genus would include the species S. morio 

 Gray (type), S. johnstoni Dobs., S. sorella Thos., and S. muricauda 

 Mill. 



The four Fei-nando Po skulls of ;S'. johnstoni differ considerably 

 in the i-elative proportions of the upper unicuspids, the second 

 being much smaller than the third in some cases, as it is in the 

 type, while in others it is nearly as large. I am inclined to 

 ]3elieve that in the Soricidse generally the systematic importance 

 of the relative sizes of these teeth has been considerably over- 

 estimated. 



12. POIANA RICHARDSONI Gray. 



Native skin. Bantabiri, 500 m. 



13. Anomalurus fraseri Waterh. 



d. 58. $.59,185. Bantabiri, 10 m. 



S . 159. N. Bantabiri, 1800 m. 



Although several Fernando Po specimens of A. fraseri, including 

 the type, are in the British Museum, all are very much faded by 

 exposure to light, and these fresh topotypes are theref oi-e of much 

 value. 



Among the specimens assigned to this species fi'om the mainland 

 of Africa are two from the Lower Niger, which a comparison with 

 Mr. Seimund's examples shows to be subspecifically separable, as 

 follows : — 



Anomalurus fraseri nigrensis. 



Anomalurus fraseri nigi'ensis Thos. Abstr, P. Z. S. 1904, No. 10, 

 p. 12, Nov. 22. 



Closely similar to \\\e tvwQ fraseri in all respects, but the general 

 colour paler and greyer — body broccoli- brown, membranes smoke- 

 grey, — and the size, as shown by the skull and teeth, decidedly 

 .smaller. The tail also less bushy, 



* P. Z. S. 18S7, 1). 575. 



