290 
THE MAMMALS OE EGYPT. 
interorbital constriction lo ; length of nasals 22 ; basal breadth of nasals 7 ; length of 
upper molar series (alveolar) 11 ; length of mandible 37 mm. 
“ Professor Giglioli informs me that he Avas told by Count Marrazzani that Eskanid 
(which I think there can he no doubt is Erkoweet) is close to Suakin, and that this 
female Avas shot by a felloAV companion of the Count’s. The chief of this place Avas 
interviewed by me at Suakin, and on showing him a draAving of Lophiomys he said he 
recognized the animal and would try and get one for me. About fourteen days after 
this, news came to me, through the Mudir of Suakin, that the chief had caught one 
alive, but that at night it had eaten its way out of the bag in which it had been kept. 
He called it ‘ Bamsuika.’ 
“ Colonel Hunter also obtained one alive,, Avhich he took to Cairo, where it escaped. 
“ This animal is said to occur in the Khor Baraka and also at Tamai, and it is stated 
that it burrows under the roots of trees like a rat.” 
[The Plate Avill convey an idea of the form of this very curious rodent, which is of 
about the size of a guinea-pig. The fur is exceedingly dense and long, which gives it 
the appearance of having a proportionately very small head. The ears and eyes are 
rather small. The tail, which is rather more than half the length of the head and 
body, is densely clothed with somewhat harsh wool-like fur, with a moderate number of 
longer hairs; the under-fur upon the body is very soft. 
The short ears are well clothed with hair, that on the inner surface being very thick 
and projecting well beyond the margin of the conch. In a line with the ears upon 
either side of the nape there commences a narroAV area, which is covered with shorter, 
more adpressed, harsher fur of peculiar structure ; these two depressed bands continue 
over the shoulders and along the sides to above the hips, thus dividing the coat on the 
upper side of the animal into three pretty equal divisions, a dorsal and two lateral. 
These lateral bands are no doubt of glandular formation. 
The feet are short and broad. The fore feet have four Avell-developed digits, Avith 
moderate, slightly curved claws partially hidden by stiff hairs; the pollex is A^ery short 
or vestigial, Avith a small flattened nail on its outer side; there are three pads at the 
base of the longer fingers, and two large rounded pads behind these on a level with 
the bones of the thumb. 
The hind feet have five Avell-developed digits, with claAvs only slightly larger than 
those of the fore feet; the hallux, Avhich is somewhat opposable, reaches to the base 
of the second toe and is similarly claAved. There are four pads at the bases of the toes, 
and tAVO larger oval pads further back, the one on the inner side being very much the 
larger and also the more proximal. 
The skull of this animal is totally unlike that of any other mammal, more resembling 
that of some re]-tiles. In all other rodents the zygomatic arch is entirely separated 
