106 MESSRS. O. THOMAS AND U. SCUWANX ox THE [Feb. 20, 



p', p', and m\ the missing teeth from the set of six possessed by 

 Heliophobius being the two posterior, m' and m'', pushed out as 

 it were by the poweifid roots of the incisors, which impinge on 

 them from below. 



This question could, however, only be conclusively settled by a 

 microscopic examination of foetal or new-born specimens, in which 

 traces of milk-teeth might be found, but in the meantime we 

 think the correct determination will be as here stated. 



" ' Blesmol' of the Dutch. 



" Forms regular runs and mounds similar to other Moles, but 

 they can be distinguished by the size of the heaps thrown up." — 

 C. H. B. G. 



24t. Georychus hottextottus Less. 



S. 1047, 1049, 1058, 1060. $. 1048, 1053, 1054, 1057. 

 Plettenberg Bay. 



The Mole-i'ats i-eferred of recent years to G. hottentottii^ prove 

 on closer examination to be referable to two species, a larger and 

 a smaller, of which the former is more northern and eastern, the 

 latter more southern and western in distribution ; but whether 

 and how fai- they overlap we are not at pi-esent able to say with 

 any certainty. The difference in size is chiefly in general bulk, 

 so that it is not easy to give any single dimension which will 

 distinguish the two at all stages, although perhaps the alveolar 

 length of the tooth-row (above 6*5 mm. in the larger, below in the 

 .smaller) is as convenient as any. Restricting comparison to old 

 skulls only, the larger species may attain 36 mm. and over in basal 

 length, the smaller rarely reaching 33. 



With regard to names, it would &^]}edL,vt\\n.t]wtte7itottus,c(v.cutie7is, 

 and ludtvigi ai-e all applicable to the smaller species, but holosericeus 

 Wagn. may be applied to the larger. Thomas has seen Wagner's 

 three specimens, and found that the two "adults" are the large 

 species, and the " young " is the small one. But as the measure- 

 ments given by Wagner appear to have been taken on one of the 

 larger specimens, that would fix the name on the latter. As to 

 locality, Wagner states that one of his specimens came from 

 Graaf Reinet, which might be taken as the typical locality. 



The following are the flesh-measurements of an old male 

 Plettenberg Bay example of G. Jiottentotius, the small species : — 



Head and body 142 mm. ; tail 15 ; hind foot 24. 



The adult specimens from Plettenberg Bay are of a very light 

 general colour, in marked contrast to those from Knysna, which 

 we have separated under a special heading. 



" Trapped in run in open country. 



" The runs and mounds of this species cannot be distinguished 

 from those of Amblysomus corrioir — C. H. B. G. 



25. Georychus hottextottus talpoides, subsp. n. 



cJ . 1067, 1068. Knysna. 

 Similar in essential characters to true hottentotius, but colour 



