VOL. XII, PP. 69-71 MARCH 24, 1898 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



DESCRIPTIONS OF SIX NEW GROUND SQUIRRELS 

 FROM THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. 



BY C. HART MERRIAM. 



Of the six new Spermophiles here described, one (oregonus) 

 belongs to the armatus-beldingi group, three are subspecies of 

 mollis, and two subspecies of tridecemlineatus. 



Spermophilus oregonus sp. nov. 



Type from Swan Lake Valley, Klamath Basin, Oregon. No. 89177, 9 

 ad., U. S. Nat. Mus., Biological Survey Coll., June 12, 1897. Collected by 

 Vernon Bailey. Orig. No. 6005. 



diameters. Similar to 8. bddingi in size and general characters but 

 grayer and lacking the red dorsal area and head patch. Similar to S. ar- 

 matus in color of upper parts, but under side of tail chestnut instead of 

 grizzled gray and black. 



Color. Upper parts buffy-gray, grizzled with black hairs, sometimes 

 becoming pale dull buffy-fulvous on middle of back; under parts buffy 

 or buffy-yellowish, the dark basal fur showing through ; nose sometimes 

 pale buffy-fulvous ; feet buffy-whitish ; tail above : basally like back, dis- 

 tally becoming grizzled black and fulvous, with black tip and edged all 

 round with hoary ; tail below : deep chestnut bordered with black and 

 edged with hoary, the black border forming a broad band across end. 



Cranial characters. Skull like that of S. beld'mgi but rostrum more slen 

 der, ascending arms of premaxillse narrower, palate longer behind molars, 

 palatine bones shorter anteriorly, reaching only to plane of middle of 2d 

 molars [in beldingi they reach plane of interspace between 1st and 2d 

 molars], 



Measurements.-^ Type specimen: Total length 205; tail vertebrae 57; 

 hind foot 42. 



Spermophilus mollis stephensi subsp. nov. 



Type from Queen Station, near head of OwensValley, Nevada. No. fffff, 

 tf ad., July 12, 1891. Collected by F. Stephens. Orig. No. 718. (Alt. 

 about 6000 ft.) 



15 BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XII, 1898 (69) 



