92 BINAR LONNBERG, MAMMALS COLLECTED BY THE SWEDISH ZOOLOGICAL EXPEDITION ETC. 



author on material collected by Sjostedt. Thomas regards it as »most closely allied 

 to the peculiar Nyasan M. nyikce». As I did not find it further north it is probably 

 confined to the typical East African steppe s. str. 



Epimys effectus Dollman. 



DoLLMAU: Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1911, Ser. 8, Vol. VII, p. 524. 



A very large series of specimens of this Rat had been collected, especially 

 from Meru boma, but also from the native village Kanyakeni in the Meru country 

 south of the boma and further at Kutu, Kagio, Fort Hall and Punda Melia. To 

 the north of Meru boma at upper Luazomela river some young rats were caught at 

 a place where natives had made a clearing and buUt some huts, and these young 

 specimens belong probably to this species as well. 



There is a considerable amount of variation in this species with regard to colour. 

 Some specimens are rich buff or tan-coloured on the sides, more or less overlaid 

 with dark brown or black on the back. The specimens of this colour pattern are 

 white on the ventral surface with a sharp line of demarkation between the white 

 and the bright buff of the flanks. Other specimens are dark brown on the back, 

 greyish brown on the sides, more or less suffused with dull buff; and the lower sur- 

 face of these specimens does not show a single white hair but is dark slaty, or 

 blackish grey with duU huffish tips to the hair. Between the two extremes thus 

 described there are many intergrading links, but the intermediate ones are less com- 

 mon so that it may be spoken of a white-bellied and a dark-bellied phase. Both may 

 occur at the same locality, but at Meru boma the dark phase was more common. 



To make sure about the identity I sent a representative of either phase to 

 British Museum where the author of the species kindly examined them and signed 

 both with the name effectus. 



The juvenile pelage of E. effectus is, as Dollman has stated, ashy grey, but it 

 is darker on the back, inclining to blackish, and a huffish wash of the sides appears 

 sometimes in rather early stages. 



In the Meru country this Rat appears to live chiefly in and around the native 

 villages as a » house-rat ». It is of interest that at least at Meru boma it occurs 

 together with Epimys medicatus. 



In one of the specimens from Punda Melia the skull is anomalous as the last 

 molar of the upper jaw is missing, but in the lower jaw it is present. 



Epimys panya Heller. 



Hellee: Smithson. Misc. Coll. 1910, Vol. 56 n:o 9, p. 2. 



The type-locality of this Rat has been stated to be Juja farm or the Athi 

 plains. At this same locality I obtained a topotype. Specimens which without 



