212 W. T. Blanford — Netv He J gelt og from Muscat in Arabia. [No. 4, 



XIX. — Description of a supposed new Hedgehog from Muscat in Arabia. — 

 JSg W. T. Blanfokb, F. E. S., &c. 



(Received and read Dec. 4tli 1878.) 

 (With Plate IX.) 

 Amongst a collection of small mammals, birds and reptiles, sent to me 

 some time since by Colonel Miles, the Political Agent at Muscat, are two 

 specimens, one preserved in spirit, the other a skin, of a species of hedgehog 

 which appears to me undescribed. It is somewhat intermediate in charac- 

 ters between the Indian ^. collaris, and the Persian and Baluchistan E. 

 macracanthus, and E. megalotis, being larger than the former and having 

 longer spines, whilst it is inferior in both respects to the two latter. The 

 following is a description of the new form. 



Erinacexjs NIGER, sp. nov. 



E. supra niger, suhtus nigrescenti-fuscus, auriculis longiusculis, pilis 

 sparsis griseis indutis, aculeis longiusculis, apices versus nigris, in medio 

 alhiSj ad basin fuscis. Long, tota 6 — 7, auriculi 1*6, planted 1'25 poll. angl. 



Hab. Juxta Muscat in Arabia. 



The description is chiefly taken from the specimen in spirit, a female. 

 The size is moderate, exceeding that of E. collaris, but apparently inferior 

 to E. europceus. The colour is black above, the white ring on the spines 

 being very inconspicuous, the face is sooty black with a few gray hairs 

 interspersed, the ears are grey. On the lower parts and limbs all the hairs 

 are sooty or blackish brown. 



The feet are of moderate size, not so broad as in E. grayi^ nor short as 

 in E. mici'opus, but resembling those of E collaris in form, and thinly clad 

 with hair above. Five claws on all feet, the inner claw on the hind feet 

 much smaller than the others. 



The ears are long, not very broad, rounded at the end, thinly clad out- 

 side and near the margin inside with short whitish hairs : there are longer 

 white hairs at the base of the anterior inner margin, and longer blackish 

 hair near the base in front and behind. 



Spines long, one inch to one and a quarter in length on the hinder part 

 of the back. In the spirit specimen, a female, none exceed 1-1 inches ; in 

 the dried skin some are nearly li inches long. The spines commence on the 

 forehead inside of each ear, leaving a space free from spines in the middle, 

 running back for about an inch. All are black at the points for half an inch, 

 then white for about ^ inch, then dusky to near the base where they are 



