KTJNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIBN8 HANDLINGAR. BAND 48. N:0 5. 101 



Considering that the difference in the size of the skull between this specimen 

 and that of the type of L. i. hindei is just as great as between the latter and L. i. 

 ibeanus, although all are of the same sex and adult, it appears probable that these 

 animals vary considerably in size individually. In such a case it appears hardly 

 possible to maintain L. i hindei as a subspecies as it only differs in size. 



PococK has quite recently^ discussed the peculiar arrangement and coloration 

 of the hair of Lophiomys and arrived at the plausible conclusion that the black and 

 white pattern »must make the animal conspicuous in the dusk». Pocock regarded 

 thus Lophiomys as a s self advertiser*, and believed it to be protected by »a most 

 peculiar but indescribable smell », which the author quoted had felt emitted from the 

 specimen examined by him. To this may be mentioned that the living animal seen 

 by me did not produce any perceptible odour, nor did my taxidermist Mr. A. Jansson 

 perceive any such when he skinned the dead animal. The skin has a somewhat 

 musky smell but by far not so strong as that of many Shrews for instance. The 

 body preserved in alkohol has no peculiar smell. 



Mr. Henderson's specimen was quite tame (which perhaps explains that it did 

 not affect our olfactory organs). He could handle it just as he liked, and he lifted 

 and carried it by getting hold of the long hair of its back. When put on a table for 

 instance it slowly walked a round without any attempt to slip away, and it did not 

 try to bite. 



It was fed on carrots, while in the possession of Mr. Henderson, and it ap- 

 peared to like that diet. 



Spalacidae. 



Tachyoryctes splendens ibeanus Thomas. 



Thomas: Proc. Zool. Soc, London 1900, p. 179. 



This Mole-rat is rather common at Nairobi where several specimens were ob- 

 tained. One specimen was also caught among grass at a small dry rivulet on the 

 open plains some distance north east of Nairobi. Especially the blackish young, or 

 half grown young animals were often seen among the vegetation at the road side 



even -in daytime. 



When compared with the Mole-rats , caught at Meru boma the specimens from 

 the neighbourhood of Nairobi are easily recognized on the shape of the nasals which 

 are rather evenly tapering backwards, as is well illustrated by Thomas' figure of the 

 type (1. c. p. 180). The same bones of the Meru specimens are comparatively broader 

 behind and do not taper so much. A skull of the latter kind was therefore sent to 

 British Museum for comparison, and Mr. Guy Dollman kindly replied that a long 

 series of specimens from Kenia and the Igambi Hills exhibited !>a considerable va- 

 riation in the form of the nasals ». In consequence of this the Tachyoryctes of Meru 

 boma as well must be considered to be splendens ibeanus, 



1 Proc. Zool. Soc, 1911, p. 946—948. 



