948 THE HOX. P. A. METHUEX OX 



conjoined must, theoretically, combine to make the former species, 

 or race, more easily seen at night than the latter. 



That the Crested Rat is nocturnal was proved by observations 

 made upon the specimen of L. imhausi that was kept in the 

 Jardin d'Acclimatation, Paris. It was also recorded of this 

 animal by Milne-Edwards that when irritated it raised its dorsal 

 crest erect and defended itself by biting vigorously. 



Mr. Pocock concluded by remarking that the specimen exhibited, 

 which before being skinned was perfectly fi-esh having been kept 

 in a refrigerator, had a most peculiar but indescribable smell. 

 From this it might be inferred that Lophiomys was perhaps a 

 protected self-advertiser. On the other hand, it was considered 

 possible that it might be a mimic of the Porcupine, since the 

 coloration of the two was in a general way very similar*. 



PAPERS. 



41. On an Anipbipod from the Transvaal. 

 By the Hon. Paul A. Methuen, F.Z.S. 



[Received April 27, 1911 : Read June 13, 1911.] 

 (Plates XLIX.-LI.t) 



Introduction. 



About twelve months ago, Mr. Hewitt, of the Albany Museum, 

 Grahamstown, who, at that time, was at the Transvaal Museum, 

 Pretoria, communicated in a letter to the Eev, Noel Roberts and 

 to me, his discovery of a blind Amphipod together with some 

 Copepods in a cave at Irene, which lies about 9 miles south of 

 Pretoi'ia ; at the time of writing he considered the species to 

 belong to the genus Eucrcmgovyx Stebbing. Owing to other 

 woi-k he postponed the description of it, and, when I came out 

 some few months ago, he very kindly gave me the specimens 

 collected to deal with. 



Not long ago I visited the same cave and secured two specimens : 

 none of the Amphipods taken from this cave were large. 



In February, Mr. Austen Roberts and myself went to the 

 Makapan Caves, which lie in hilly country about 1 5 miles west of 

 Potgietersrust, in the Transvaal, for we heard that some of these 

 caves contained water, and we hoped to obtain a more plentiful 

 supply of these cave Crustacea. 



The first cave we visited — the more famous historically — con- 

 tained nothing we were in search of, so we directed our steps to 



* In the discussion that followed this exhibition, Dr. R. E. Drake- Brockman, who 

 was acquainted with Lophiomijs in Somaliland, remarked that the natives of that 

 country regarded these rats as young Porcupines. 

 ■ - f For explanation of the Plates see p. 957. 



