ON A NEW SPECIES OF THE GOLDEN MOLE. 189 



She had killed 11 sheep and had bitten many more, some of 

 them dying during the next few days. 



" Thos. E. Whitehead, 



262 Bulwer Street, 



North Perth, 

 Western Australia." 



On a New and a Rare Species of the Golden Mole 

 (Bematiscus). 



Dr. R. Broom, O.M.Z.S., exhibited specimens of two rare 

 South-African Golden Moles, and made the following re- 

 marks : — 



Hitherto the giant moles from the eastern part of Cape 

 Colony have been referred to Bematiscus t7-evelyani, but it is 

 quite manifest that there are at least two species. The specimen 

 which I make the type of this new species was sent to me by 

 , Miss Ivy Lesch fi'om St. Cuthberts, Isolo, and as it diflfers very 

 markedly from Bematiscus trevelyani of the Pirie Bush or any of 

 the hitherto described species, I have much pleasure in naming it 

 after the discoverer, to whose interest in natural history we also 

 owe Bematiscus transvaalensis. 



Bematiscus leschce is a moderately large mole, probably about 

 180 mm. in length, but as I have only the dried skin, it is 

 impossible to be quite sure of the length. It is manifestly con- 

 siderably smaller than B. trevelyani. The fur is of a fairly 

 uniform dark brown — lighter on the abdomen. On the lips the 

 short fur is somewhat reddish brown. On the upper side of the 

 head the fur is^also rather lighter than furt))er back, owing to 

 the short under-fur being pale reddish brown. On the back and 

 greater part of the body the fur is about 18 mm. in length— a 

 dark slaty very tine under-fur With coarse-tipped hairs whose tips 

 of 7 mm. overlap the under-fur. The tips have the last 2 or 

 3 mm. dark brown and the more proximal | light brown. 



The following are the measurements, of the claws of the front 

 foot: — 1st 2-5 mm., 2nd 6 mm., 3rd 11 mm., 4th 1-5 mm. 



The following are the principal measurements of the skull : — 



mm. 



Greatest length 35*6 



Greatest width 21-4 



Greatest height 17 



Width between orbits 7'5 



Dental series 14 



Molar series 8 



Width across the premolars 1 '8 



Width between last premolars 4-6 



The skull has the large bulla for the malleus well projecting 

 as in B. villosa and B. traihsvaalensis, and the affinities are much 

 closer with these two species than with B. trevelyani. The mole 



