184 EINAR LONNBBRa, MAMMALS COLLECTED By THE SWEDISH ZOOLOGICAL EXPEDITIOK ETC. 



the parietale forms a very distinct curve so that the posterior portion of the bone 

 slopes quite conspicuously towards the occipitale. The parietal is also narrower in 

 its posterior portion than in the other two species so that its least width behind (a 

 little in front of sutura lambdoidea) is only 40 mm. while the same dimension is 48,8 

 mm. in 0. cethiopicus, and 49 mm. in 0. afer. 



The number of teeth is, of course, of less importance in an Orycteropus as the 

 variability in this respect is rather great. The present specimen has 6 teeth in the 

 upper and resp. 6, and 5 teeth in the lower jaw. 



With regard to the shape of the lower jaw this skull is most similar to 0. afer, 

 because the processus coronoideus of 0. cethiopicus is much higher. 



On the whole this skull from Brit. East Africa shows more affinity with 

 the South African 0. afer than with the Abyssinian O. cethiopicus, but it differs con- 

 spicuously from both and represents without doubt a separate subspecies. 



Matschie has described a race named by him 0. wertheri from Bagamoyo 

 hinterland, but the skull of that race does not appear to be known yet as Matschie 

 had stated in a letter to the present author. 



In the year 1908 Lydekker named (conf. 1. c. above) »the Somali ant-bear* 

 »0. a. somalicus». No description of this animal was, however, given. The only 

 communications about it are that it is »rather smaller but closely allied* to the Abys- 

 sinian race, viz. 0. cethiopicus, and that »the basal diameter of a skull in the British 

 Museum is »7 % inches ». It is evidently quite impossible to identify a species on 

 such a scanty communication, and it had been better not to give any name when 

 no diagnose was added. ^ As a matter of fact the present specimen from British 

 East Africa is more allied to the southern 0. afer than to 0. cethiopicus and not 

 smaller than the latter, but from a zoogeographical point of view it could be expec- 

 ted that the same race occurred in Brit. East Africa as in Somaliland. Therefore I 

 took the liberty of writing to my friend Mr. Lydekker and asked for further com- 

 munication about his »0. a. somalicus^. He then kindly replied: »As regards the 

 Somali ant-bear I find that the anterior portion of the frontals and the base of the 

 nasals is distinctly convex, with a hollow median line between the convexities*. 

 This indicates thus a resemblance in shape of skulls between the present specimen 

 and the Somali race, and I was therefore inclined to use the name 0. a. somalicus. 

 Later, however, Lydekker added in another letter the information that the type 

 skuU of his 0. a. somalicus has a » minimum postorbital breadth* of 54 mm. and 

 this proves that the specimen from Nairobi cannot be referred to 0. a. somalicus 

 as its minimum postorbital breadth is only 43 mm. In this respect the difference 

 between the present specimen and »0. a. somalicus>-> is even greater than that between 

 the former and 0. afer in which I have found this measurement to be about 47 mm. 



1 Deake-Bbockman when writing about »the Mammals of Somaliland» has not accepted Ltdekkee's name 

 but called the »Antbear» of that country 0. cethiopicus SnND.» 



