1905.] FROM THE WAKKEIISTROOM DISTRICT, TRA>rSVAAL. 131 



(Tokai Retreat and Table Mountains), Zuuvbron and Wakkerstroom 

 of the present series, and at Sibudeni and Umvolosi in Zululand, 

 where it is found side by side with the larger species next to be 

 described. 



ISTone of tlie collections made in the central parts of the Colony 

 have contained any Myosorex, so that the genus would seem to 

 be confined to the coast districts from Little Namaqualand round 

 to Zululand, and corresponding to the West Cape and East Cape 

 subregions of Dr. Matschie's zoological subdivision of Africa. 



Sundevall's " /S'orea; m/er " * is clearly M. va-rius, as is shown 

 by its short tail, and by some measurements of the typical skuU 

 kindly furnished us by Dr. Einar Lonnberg. 



"Zulu name in Transvaal ' ISTgoso.' Not common on the high 

 veldt, but very plentiful on the low ground under fallen trees and 

 in the thick vegetatioji near the bush. Both nocturnal and 

 diurnal."— C.i^./i. (7. 



8. MyosoREx TENUIS, sp. n. 



2 . 773. Zuurbron. Type of species. 



This specimen being an isolated one, we have iirst described 

 an allied species on a series obtained later by Mr. Grant in Zulu- 

 land, as follows : — 



Myosorex sclateri Thos. & Schw. 



Myosorex sclateri, Thos. & Schw. Abstr. P. Z. S. No. 15, p. 10, 

 Feb. 28, 1905. 



Size considei-ably larger than in M. varius and tail longer. 

 General colour much darker, a warm dark bistre-brown, veiy 

 difierent to the grey of M. varms ; approaching black in some 

 specimens. Under sui-face but little lighter than upper. Upper 

 side of hands and feet brown. Tail longer than in M. varius, 

 its hairs closely adpressed and not forming a pencil at the tip, so 

 that it looks to the naked eye much less hairy than in the allied 

 species ; its colour uniformly brown above and below, or the lower 

 side very inconspicuously lighter. 



Skull decidedly larger than in M. varius ; the teeth similar 

 except that i' is longer, its main cusp surpassing consideraVjly in 

 downward projection the tip of i^, while in M. varius it is barely 

 longer than that tooth. [This character is not alwaj^s available 

 for distingviishing the species, partly owing to the influence of sex, 

 the male having generally a longer i' than the female, and partly 

 to age, the tooth being occasionally so worn down as to be useless 

 for the purpose.] 



Dimensions of the type (measured in the fiesh) :— 



Head and body 99 mm. ; tail 53 ; hind foot 16 ; ear 10*5. 



Skull — back of condyle to front face of i^ 25'2 ; basal length 22 ; 



* mx. K, Vet,-Ak. Fori!. ISid p, 119. 



