ELIOMYS 553 



of meatus, this succeeded by a larger black spot just above base 

 of upper margin of conch. Ear dusky, sometimes inclining to 

 blackish along anterior border. Muzzle and sometimes face and 

 crown tinged with buffy clay-colour. Feet white, this colour 

 extending over entire wrist and most of forearm, the outer side 

 of upper arm with a longitudinal dusky, sometimes almost 

 blackish streak extending upward to fade into general body colour. 

 Tail sharply bicolor, the under surface white throughout, the 

 upper surface like back through basal half, then darkening 

 abruptly to clear black, this giving way in the pencil to white. 

 Young with back and sides an obscure slaty drab, the russet 

 gradually appearing on back, though often not until after the 

 general colour has assumed the light smoky grey of the adult 

 pelage. 



Skull. — The general form of the skull is deep and rather 



t^/ 



fig. 109. 



Eliomys quercinus. Nat. size. 



(The incisive foramina are too short.) 



broad posteriorly, tapering noticeably to the slender rostrum. 

 Dorsal profile nearly flat from front of nasals to posterior 

 extremity of frontal or a little beyond, then uniformly and 

 rather strongly convex to interparietal across which it is again 

 flat ; ventral profile parallel with dorsal to front of tooth-row 

 then bent down to lowest region of bulla (which lies decidedly 

 below line of pterygoids), behind which it rises abruptly ; brain- 

 case squarish in outline when viewed from above, somewhat 

 wider and deeper anteriorly than posteriorly, its surface smooth 

 and without ridges other than a slight angularity along anterior 



