THE SPINY MICE OF BRITISH EAST AFRICA 51 
ON THE SPINY MICE OF BRITISH EAST AFRICA, 
WITH A DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES 
FROM MAGADI 
By Guy Dollman 
From * The Annals and Magazine of Natural History * 
In the collection of mammals recently presented to the 
British Museum by A. Blayney Percival, Esq., is a series of 
Spiny Mice from Magadi, South Masailand District, British 
East Africa ; these specimens represent an entirely new 
species, which is here described as 
Acomys nuhilus, sp. n. 
About equal to Acomys Wilsoni in size, but with longer 
tail and very much darker in general colour. 
Size of body less than in the ignitus and 'pulchellus groups, 
more as in the short-tailed Wilsoni ; tail fairly long, measuring 
from 65 to 67 mm. in length, and thus much longer than in 
the other small species, where the tail very rarely exceeds 
50 mm. in length. 
General colour of dorsal surface dark sepia-brown, slightly 
speckled with buff, but not exhibiting the marked speckled 
effect found in Wilsoni and ablutus. Flanks pale buff, speckled 
with dark brown. Backs of hands and feet dirty white. 
Entire underparts white. 
Skull very much like that of Wilsoni, slightly larger 
throughout, with a rather broader brain-case. 
Dimensions of the type (measured in the flesh) : Head 
and body 83 mm. ; tail 65 ; hind foot 14 ; ear 12. 
Skull of type badly broken ; the following dimensions are 
those of another specimen, No. 1477, from the type-locality : 
greatest length 25*4 ; condylo-incisive length 22*4 ; zygomatic 
breadth 12 ; interorbital constriction 4*5 ; breadth of brain- 
case 12 ; length of palatal foramina 5*8 ; length of upper 
molar series 4. 
