1905,] FROM THE WAKKERSTROOM DISTRICT, TRANSVAAL. 137 



D. melanotis is easily distinguished from D. mesomelas by its 

 grey colour and by the peculiar structure of its hind toes, first 

 noticed by Sclater in his ' Fauna of South Africa ' *. 



21. Mystromys albicaudatus pumosus, svibsp. nov. 

 c? . 685, 705. Wakkerstroom. 



Similar to the typical subspecies, but larger and darker. 



General colour of the upper surface "mouse-grey" freely 

 pencilled with black, flanks rather lighter. Individual hairs 

 about 12 mm. long, basal four-fifths slate-grey, terminal fifth 

 " olive-grey," tip black. General colour of under surface light 

 grey, basal half of hairs dark slate-grey. Forehead, nape, and a 

 ring round eyes strongly pencilled with black, lips and cheeks 

 lighter ; ears large, rounded, clothed inside with silvery hair, out- 

 side with a thick growth of very fine black hair. Fore and hind 

 limbs slate-grey, the latter rather darker if anything ; fore and 

 hind feet white above and below ; in the hind feet a naked line 

 extends from the centre of the foot to the ankle-joint. Tail 

 distinctly bicolor, dark gi'ey above, pure white beneath, the line 

 of demarcation very distinct. 



The skull, though younger than that of the type of cdbicaudatus, 

 is considerably larger. 



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



Head and body 161 mm. ; tail 78 ; hind foot 27 ; ear 25. 



Skull — greatest length 38 mm.; basilar length 31*5; inter- 

 orbital breadth 4'5 ; zygomatic breadth 20*0 ; length of upper 

 molar series 7. 



Hab. Wakkerstroom, Transvaal; alt. 1850m. 



T'l/pe. c?. B.M. No. 4.9.1.72. Collected 18 March, 1904. 



The type of M. albicaudatus Smith is of a light red colour, due 

 most probably to fading t, and we therefore do not feel justified 

 in distinguishing from that form the grey specimens from the 

 Orange River Colony obtained by Oapt. Barrett- Hamilton. 



" Not by any means common, apparently solitary and strictly 

 nocturnal. It inhabits the stone walls of the farmlands and 

 deserted burrows of Gerbillus. Cats will not eat this species, 

 though they often kill it."— (7. H. B. G. 



22. Lepus ochropus Wagn. 



J. 707, 708, 718, 719. $. 730. Wakkerstroom. - 

 These Hares, which appear to be confined to the high veldt, are 



easily distinguished from the low-ground capensis by their yellow 



nape and throat. 



* Vol. ii. p. 32. 



t While grey does not appreciably alter under the influence of light, black and 

 brown are peculiarly susceptible to changes, and it is the black ends to the hairs 

 which we suppose to have faded in the type. (Cf. 'Zoologist,' 1896, p. 406.) 



