HELICTIS. 



285 



sis from Nepal, H. orientalis from Java and Sumatra, H. subau- 

 rantiaca fiom Formosa and the allied H. moschata (of which he 

 considered H. personata of Geoffroy as a synonym) from China 

 and Yunnan. 



Thomas (P. Z. S., 1886, p. 62), states that H. personata of 

 GeofEroy cannot be considered a synonym of H. moschata, as its 

 teeth are of large size as is shown by Blainville's figure (Osteogra- 

 phie, II), and that it belongs to the large-toothed section of the 

 genus ; he also remarked that he could perceive no distinction 

 between H. orientalis and H. nepalensis from Java and Nepal 

 respectively. 



Blanford (Mammals, p. 172) practically adopts Thomas' views 

 on this subject, and distinguishes only two species from the Indian 

 Empire," H. orientalis from Nepal, Sikkim and Java of a dark- 

 brown, almost chocolate colour, with the upper sectorial tooth 

 of moderate size, of which the outer lobe projects anteriorly 

 and posteriorly beyond the inner lobe, and the anterior inner 

 cusp considerably exceeds the posterior inner cusp in size ; 

 and H. personata with brownish gray fur and a trapezoidal 

 upper sectorial with the two inner cusps almost equally deve- 

 loped. 



The specimens in the Indian Museum cannot in any way be 

 fitted to these two descriptions, as the following brief characters 

 show : — 



Specimen. 



Colour. 

 Reddish brown 



Skin, skull, juv, 



Darjeeling. 

 Skin, Arakan Pale brown 



Stuffed, skull, Pale brown 



Arakan. 



Stuffed, Tippera Pale brown 

 Skeleton, Rangoon 



Sectorial. 



Outer lobe not projecting, 

 inner cusp subequal. 



Very worn, but with outer 

 lobe projecting and inner 

 cusps very unequal. 



Skin, skull, 

 Shillong. 



Blackish-gray, no red- 

 dish tinge ; head al- 

 most black. 



Outer lobe projecting slight- 

 ly in front, more behind ; 

 inner lobes unequal. 



Outer lobe markedly pro- 

 jecting in front and be- 

 hind ; inner lobes very 

 unequal. 



From this it will be seen that the Darjeeling specimen, though 

 of the colour of H. orientalis, has a skull resembling that of H. 

 personata, while the Shillong specimen, with the colouring of H. 

 personata, has a skull resembling that of O. orientalis. In the list 

 below all the specimens have been identified as H. personata, 

 except the Darjeeling one, as until more specimens are ex- 

 amined, it is impossible to correctly determine the limits of the 

 species. 



