THE DIKDIKS 
631 
Ukamba Kirk Dikdik 
Rhynchotragus kirki hindei 
Madoqua kirki hindei Thomas, 1902, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. V, 
p. 242. 
Range. —Confined to the foothill region flanking the 
highlands from the southern boundary of British East 
Africa north to the southern slopes of Mount Kenia between 
the altitudes of two thousand five hundred and five thousand 
feet. 
The type of this species was collected at the govern¬ 
ment post of Kitui by Doctor S. L. Hinde, to whom the 
British Museum is indebted for many of its African types 
of small mammals. We have examined specimens in the 
National Museum from the Athi Plains and the station of 
Mtoto Andei. Sir Alfred Pease has recorded in a letter 
to Colonel Roosevelt his discovery of a family of spotted 
dikdiks on his Kitanga Farm near Machakos. While out 
shooting he met a family party of three dikdiks: a male, 
female, and half-grown young, all of which were marked 
by large white blotches upon the flanks, shoulders, neck, 
and rump. With the exception of the spots they differed 
in no way from the ordinary dikdik found in the same 
locality. The discovery of one individual showing partial 
albinism of this sort would not be extraordinarily remark¬ 
able, but the discovery of three individuals all showing the 
same markings and associated together in a family is indeed 
a really remarkable occurrence. Apparently in this family 
at least the white markings are well established and are 
transmitted to the offspring. The dikdik were under ob¬ 
servation for some time at a distance of only fifteen yards, 
but owing to the tender regard in which they were held by 
the observer no attempt was made to collect a specimen. 
No other case among dikdik of partial or complete albi¬ 
nism is known to us. The proboscis occasionally shows 
small white spots or flecks, but these are never numerous 
or extensive in area. 
The Ukamba dikdik may be known by its dark colora¬ 
tion and extensive tawny suffusion, the sides being bright 
tawny and the legs more uniform tawny. In size it is 
