1905.] FROM THE WAKKERSTROOM DISTRICT, TRANSVAAL. 133 



insects, with mice and small birds occasionally. Diurnal only." — 

 C. H. B. G. 



11. SURICATA SURICATTA HAMILTONI, Subsp. n. 



6 . 733. Wakkei'stroom. 



On laying out the Museum series of Suricate skins foi- comparison 

 with Mr. Gi-ant's specimen, it is at once apparent that they fall 

 naturally into four distinct groups or local races, as follows ; — 



1. Central (typical). Cape and Deelfontein. 



2. South-easterly. Grahamstown. 



3. North-easterly. Orange River Colony and Southern Transvaal. 



4. North-westerly. Little Namaqualand (Klipfontein). 



It is possible that sufficient modern material might show that 

 the Suricate of the neighbourhood of Cape Town was subspecific- 

 ally distinct from all these groups, but our only authentic Cape 

 specimen, which was collected by General Hardwicke before 1835, 

 is now so worn and faded that it is impossible to separate it from 

 the Deelfontein form. 



This being the case, the latter may be referred with the Cape 

 one to the typical subspecies. 



The synonymy of this typical subspecies will contain all the 

 names hitheito published, owing to the type locality having been 

 in each case given as " South Africa," without further details. 



As represented by the specimens from Deelfontein, the typical 

 subspecies is characterised by having the head and shoulders " drab- 

 gray " and the cheeks and under parts of the neck dirty white. 

 The tail appears to be rather more fulvous than in the other forms. 



The other races may be described as foUows : — 



S. s. LOPHURUS, subsp. nov. 



Under this name we distinguish a South-eastern race, re- 

 presented by two specimens from Grahamstown remarkable for 

 their large size. In colour they most resemble the sei'ies from 

 Deelfontein, being drab-grey on the head and shoulders and dirty 

 white or grey on the cheeks and throat. The tail is distinctly 

 bushy and of the same general colour as the body, not showing 

 the yellow or fulvous suffusion toward the tip so generally present 

 in the other groups. The lengths of the hind feet are 69 and 

 72 mm. in the young and adult specimens respectively, as against 

 a maximum of 67 in other membeis of this species in the 

 collection. 



The skull is characterised by the marked backward divergence 

 of the zygomata and its general large size. 



The younger of the two specimens, No. 97.11.5.11, still retains 

 the rounded appearance and open basilar suture indicative of youth, 

 but nevertheless measures 69 mm. in greatest length as a,gainst 

 the 68 mm. of the oldest male specimen from any other locality. 



Dimensions of the tvpe (measured in the skin) : — 



Head and bodv (c) 340 mm.. ; tail 200 ; hind foot 72 ; ear 18. 



