species of Mammalia. 107 



21. Hy^na striata, Zimm. 



The collection contains two imperfect skins, marked by Mr. 

 Hodgson " Hycena virgata, List of specimens presented to the 

 East India Company." In Mr. Ogilby^s memoir on the Mam- 

 malogy of the Himalayas, in Royle^s Illustrations, &c., is the 

 following remark : '^ the Hysena of India [Hijcena virgatd), a 

 native of the plains, sometimes ascends even to Simla." The 

 skins have been compared with specimens of the striated species 

 at the British Museum and at the East India House, bat present 

 no character to warrant a specific distinction. The multifarious 

 specific names with which this species is enumerated in books 

 on zoology have greatly perplexed its synonymy. 



Besides the common Indian species of Vulpes bengalensis, 

 montanus snadferrilatus, the collection contains a specimen com- 

 monly indicated as Vulpes laniger, which is, however, a true 

 Lmpus. 



22. Lupus laniger, Hodgson. 



The entire length of the specimen from the nose to the root 

 of the tail is 4 feet 4 inches; of the tail only 11 inches remain, 

 and its length cannot be determined accurately. The general 

 colour above is fulvescent inclining to sordid, deeper on the 

 back, which is slightly variegated by the admixture of black- 

 tipped hairs ; underneath pale grey. On the back the pelage is 

 close and formed into small tufts, on the sides dense and shaggy, 

 in accordance with the cold regions which it inhabits ; on the 

 head and nose it is greyish. The ears are large, pointed, and 

 covered externally with a dense brownish fur. The form of the 

 head is that of a common European wolf, rounded posteriorly 

 and tapering to the nose. 



This animal must be considered specifically distinct from 

 the Canis Lupus of Elliot (Madr. Journ. Lit. x.), and from 

 the Canis pallipes of Sykes (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1831), to which the 

 name of Wolf is also assigned. It is a larger animal, and the 

 hairy covering is of a different character, besides other distinc- 

 tions which appear from the descriptions. The black lines on 

 the front of the fore feet are observed in both species. Mr. 

 Blyth's remarks in his Report for September 1847, afford a 

 useful illustration of the Tibetan Wolf. 



23. MUSTELA STRIGIDORSA, HodgSOU. 



A new species discovered by Mr. Hodgson in the Sikim Hills of 

 Tarai, and thus described by himself: — Snout to vent 12 inches; 

 head 2f in. ; tail only 5 1 in. ; tail and hair 6^ in. Palma If in., 

 planta 2 in. A¥eight 7J to 8 ounces. Intense brown, with the 



