APPENDIX IV.

Notes on certain Mammalia, Birds, Snakes, and Landshells collected on Camaroons Mountains, by Captain Burton, H.M. Consul, Fernando Po. By Dr. G. R. Gray, and Dr. Wm. Baird.

(Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1862, p. 180.)

Crocidura Morio, sp. nov.

Uniform rather brownish black, rather paler and browner beneath. Teeth white. Feet very slender, weak. Tail nearly as long as the body and head, very slender, annulated, covered with very short closely adpressed hair.

Length of body and head, dry, 2¾ inches; tail, dry, 2 inches.

‘Mole from Camaroons Mountains, 7000 feet above the level of the sea, January 1862.’

Sciurus Isabella, sp. nov.

Yellowish brown, minutely grizzled, with four broad dorsal streaks—the two central from the crown of the head to the base of the tail, the side ones from the shoulder only; the underside whitish grey. Tail slightly annulated.

Length of body and head 7 inches; tail 5 inches.

‘Squirrel from the Camaroons Mountains, 7000 feet above the level of the sea, January 1862.’

I have great pleasure in naming this beautiful new species after Mrs. Isabel Burton,—her husband, the discoverer of it, having requested that any novelty that might be in the list should be so named.

Anomalurus Beecroftii, Fraser.

‘A Flying Squirrel, shot in the Camaroons Mountains, 7000 feet above the level of the sea. Colour of the eyes dark grey. January 18, 1862.’

Mus Maura, sp. nov.

Fur very soft and silky; above black, slightly marked with brown from the minute brown tips of the hairs; beneath whitish—the hair of the underside black, white-tipped. Teeth very narrow, orange. Ears rounded, moderate. Sides of the nose and edge of the orbits black. Eyes covered with very short close-pressed hairs. Tail very long, slender, closely annulated with very slender, very short adpressed hair.

Length of body and head 4½ inches; tail 5 inches; hind foot very nearly 1 inch.

‘Camaroons Mountains, 7000 feet above the level of the sea.’

Euryotis Irrorata, sp. nov.

‘Rat from the Camaroons Mountains, 7000 feet above the level of the sea. January 1862.’

I am not certain about this species until I can compare the skull with those of the other species of the genus from Africa, as they are all very similar externally.

With these animals was sent the skin of a Chimpanzee without its skull, but with the bones of the hand and feet enclosed in the skin. This skin differs from all the other specimens of this species which I have seen, in being covered with much more abundant and softer fur, and in the fur of the back being of a brown colour from the large brown tips to the blackish hair. It would seem to indicate a distinct variety or species, which may be designated, until we receive better specimens and more particulars, Troglodytes vellerosus.

Descriptions of a few West-African Birds. By Dr. G. R. Gray.

(From the ‘Annals and Magazine of Natural History’ for Dec. 1862.)

To the Editors of the ‘Annals of Natural History.’

Gentlemen,

The following descriptions of a few birds, which appear new to the fauna of West Africa, may interest some of your readers. They were collected on the Camaroons Mountains, at an elevation of 7000 feet above the level of the sea. They were sent to Mrs. Isabel Burton, the estimable lady of the distinguished traveller and Consul, Capt. Burton, and kindly presented by her to the British Museum.

Pratincola Salax.

Pratincola salax, Verr., Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1851, p. 307.

Cossypha Isabellæ.

Head black, with a shining white mark between the nostril and the middle above the eye; back olivaceous-black; wings black, each feather margined with olivaceous; beneath the body rufous-buff, deeper on the breast; rump and outer tail-feathers deep rufous, with the tips of the second, third, and fourth feathers, and tip and outer margin of the first feather, black; the four middle feathers black, with the outer margin of the fifth near the base deep rufous.

Total length, 6″; wings 2″ 11‴; tarsi, 13‴; bill from gape, 9‴.

This bird is named in compliment to Mrs. Isabel Burton.

Zosterops (Speirops) melanocephalus.

Mouse-colour, washed with olivaceous; head sooty black, with a spot on each side between the nostril and eye; mentum and under wing-coverts white; beneath the body pale obscure grey, tinged with olivaceous; quills and tail fuscous-black, the former margined outwardly with grey. Bill and feet whitish horn-colour.

Total length, 4″ 9‴; wings, 2″ 5‴; tarsi, 9‴; bill from gape, 7‴.

Trichophorus tephrolæmus.

Yellowish-olive; head and throat slate-colour, darker on the head; abdomen yellow; breast, sides, and under tail-coverts olivaceous-yellow; quills fuscous-black, with outer webs olivaceous, the inner web margined near the base with buff; tail dull olivaceous, the end of the outer feather slightly tipped with yellow; bill black; feet plumbeous.

Total length, 7″ 6‴; wings, 3″ 3‴; tarsi, 10‴; bill from gape, 10‴.

Closely allied to Trichophorus canicapillus, Hartl.; but the throat is pale ash-colour.

Euplectes phœnicomerus.

Black; rump and wing-coverts pale clear yellow; under wing-coverts pale rufous-white; thighs pale brown.

Like E. xanthomelas; but the yellow on the rump and wings is paler, and the thighs are pale brown instead of black.

Total length, 5″ 3‴; wings, 2″ 10‴; tarsi, 11‴; bill from gape, 7½‴.

Ligurnus[151] olivaceus, Hartl.

Coccothraustes olivaceus, Fras., Proc. Z. S. 1842, p. 144.

Adult male yellowish-olivaceous; head and throat deep black; sides and a narrow band round the neck, rump, and beneath the body bright orange-yellow; quills black, with the tertials and larger wing-coverts margined outwardly with bright yellow, and the quills inwardly with white; tail olivaceous-green, with each feather margined on the sides and tip with bright yellow; bill orange; feet pale.

The female agrees with Mr. Fraser’s typical specimen, said to have been obtained at Fernando Po, and which is now deposited in the British Museum. It is figured in the ‘Zoologica Typica,’ pl. 47, by Mr. Fraser.

Young.—Dull olivaceous-green; beneath the body dull olivaceous-yellow; bill and feet blackish lead-colour.

Strobilophaga Burtoni.

Fuscous, varied with pale olivaceous on the sides of the plumes; wing-coverts fuscous-black, tipped with white; quills and tail fuscous-black, margined narrowly with yellow; abdomen obscure white, spotted with fuscous-black down the shaft of some of the feathers; upper mandible horn-colour, lower mandible white; feet plumbeous.

Total length, 7″; wings, 3″ 6‴; tarsi, 9‴; bill from gape, 8‴.

The formation of this bird agrees in every respect with the genus Pinicola or Strobilophaga. A species of this genus has not hitherto been recorded as found in Africa.

To these may be added the

Cosmetornis Burtoni.

It is very similar to the Cosmetornis vexillarius (Gould), G. R. Gr., but differs in the white spot at the base of each quill being narrower, while the white at the tip of the second, third, fourth, and fifth quills is more prominent and slightly mottled with rufous on the outer web; the first quill longer than the second, fuscous-black, and partly margined with rufous on the outer webs; the sixth feather is rather longer than the fifth, the seventh rather longer than the latter; both are fuscous-black, slightly mottled with pale rufous, having the bases of the inner webs white; the eighth is much longer than the first quill, and fuscous-black, slightly mottled with pale rufous, the base of the inner web white or pale rufous; the ninth feather (or, as it has been termed, ‘standard feather’) is the longest of all, measuring more than 17 in.; it is white at the base of both inner and outer webs, but passing into pale rufous, or rufous-white mottled with black, on the outer web, while the inner is only rufous-white for its entire length from the basal white.

The specimen is in an imperfect state, and only sufficient to afford the above description so as to distinguish it from the previously known species. The British Museum is indebted to the liberality of Capt. Burton, H.M. Consul, who has just sent it with other zoological specimens, all marked as from Fernando Po, and after whom I have the pleasure of naming this interesting bird.

Major Burton has also sent to the British Museum a new kind of viper (viperidæ). It is probably scarce, as only a single specimen was sent in the collection.

Dr. Gunther has thus described it in the An. and Mag. N. Hist. 1863, 25, and intends to give a figure of it in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society.

Pœcilostolus.

Head thick, broad, covered with strongly keeled scales; body compressed; tail prehensile, subcaudal shields. Entire.

This genus differs from Echis in its compressed body, prehensile tail, and bright colours. While Echis is confined to dry sandy plains, Pœcilostolus inhabits trees and bushes. Vipera chlorœchis Schegel probably belongs to the same genus.

Pœcilostolus Burtoni.

Scales strongly keeled, in nineteen rows; upper row nine, none of which enter the orbit; rostral shield very low, linear, with other scale-like shields above. Entirely bright yellow, single scales green.

Inhab. Camaroons country.

Descriptions of two Species of Shells from Camaroons Mountains. By Wm. Baird.

1. Achatina Isabel, Baird, sp. nov.

Testa cylindracea, fulva, minute undulato-striata et parum decussata, anfractibus octo, ultima tumida, dimidiam totæ testæ æquante, suturis impressis, apertura semilunari, parva.

Longitudo, 1⅓ unc.—Latitudo maxima, ½ unc.

Habitat, Montes Camaroons dictæ, in Africa Occidentali.

This shell is covered with an epidermis of a dark fulvous colour, and its surface is marked by numerous fine longitudinal striæ, which are most distinct near the suture, are waved and impressed, while at the same time several indistinct transverse lines run across them, giving a somewhat decussated appearance. The whirls are eight in number, the apical ones blunt, the last tumid and about half the length of the whole shell. The outer lip is thin, and the interior of the semilunar aperture somewhat purplish. The sutures are distinct, and rather deeply impressed.

2. Achatina montana, Baird, sp. nov.

Testa parva, cylindracea, gracili, olivacea, nitida, prope suturas undulato-striata, anfractibus octo, ultimo tertiam partem testæ æquante, suturis impressis, apertura semilunari, parva.

Longitudo, lin. 13.—Lat. max. lin. 3½.

Habitat, Montes Camaroons dictæ, in Africa Occidentali.

This species of Achatina is much more slender and smoother than the preceding, and is of a darker colour. The apex is blunt, and the last whirl is much less tumid than the corresponding whirl of A. Isabel, and is shorter, being only about one-third the length of the shell. The surface is striated, but the striæ are scarcely perceptible except near the sutures, which are well marked and impressed.