36 MR. OLDFIELD THOMAS OK THE [Feb. 5, 



of all sorts for the Museum collection. Tip to that date there had 

 been no Balearic mammals at all in the collection, and, as I gather 

 from ray colleagues, very few members of any other groups. 



We were able to spend about 10 days in each of the two larger 

 islands, Majorca and Minorca, and obtained fairly representative 

 collections in each. 



In Majorca our collections were made at Inca, a small town in 

 the centre of the islands, on the low ground, but not far distant 

 from the main mountain chain which runs the whole length of 

 the north-western edge of the island. 



In this place we had the advantage of the kind assistance of 

 Don Miguel Eiutort, himself an enthusiastic naturalist and 

 collector, and were able to examine in his little Museum specimens 

 of some species which we failed to capture ourselves. 



From Inca we made collecting excursions to the " Albufera" or 

 reclaimed swamp of Alcudia, to neighbouring lignite-mines in search 

 of fossils, and to the local cave of Santa Magdalena, and the more 

 distant and better-known one of Manacor in search of Bats. Of 

 fossils from the lignite, although we found none ourselves, we 

 were able to purchase some remarkably fine molars of Anthraco- 

 ihermm, which have been placed in the hands of Dr. Forsyth Major 

 for determination. 



In Minorca, acting on the good advice of Don Bartolome 

 Escudero, the British- Vice Consul at Mahon, we stayed at San 

 CristobaP, and found it in every way a most excellent locality for 

 collecting. The natives took the greatest interest in our work, 

 and constantly brought us in specimens which we should not 

 otherwise have been able to get. Thanks to the suitability of 

 both place and natives, we obtained examples of every land 

 mammal known to inhabit Minorca, with the exception of the 

 Weasel, and even this has since been obtained by the kind assist- 

 ance of Mr. Escudero. 



The mammals of the islands prove to be very similar to those of 

 the neighbouring mainland of France and Spain, and I can find no 

 evidence of insular speciahzation. The occurrence in them of the 

 Algerian instead of the European Hedgehog is of remarkable 

 interest, although this animal had been already recorded from 

 Spain (see below). 



Three species— the Wild Cat, Genet, and Hare— range eastwards 

 from Spain to Majorca, but do not reach Minorca, where, when 

 introduced, the last-named has failed to maintain itself and has 

 again died out. All the other mammals are found in both islands. 



The only previous list of any importance of the Mammals of 

 the Balearics is the very excellent one by Prof. E. Barcelo ', 

 published in 1875. To this list we have been able to add one 

 terrestrial species {Mus spicilegus) and several Bats, to disprove 

 the presence of the Water- Vole, and to make some corrections 

 in the determinations. 



1 San Cristobal 2 An. Soc. Espan. iv. p. 53 (1875). 



