No. 1. — Mammals obtained by the Phillips Palestine Expedition. 



By Glover M. Allen. 



The collection here reported on consists of about one hundred and 

 fifty small mammals, mostly skins with skulls, presented to the Mu- 

 seum of Comparative Zoology by Dr. John C. Phillips, who obtained 

 them during his expedition (March- June, 1914) to the Sinai Peninsula 

 and Palestine. His route was from Cairo eastward along the west 

 coast of the Gulf of Suez, to Mt. Sinai, thence northward to Akaba, 

 at the head of the Gulf of Akaba, and on to the region of the Dead Sea. 

 Mr. William M. Mann, who accompanied him, made further collections 

 about the base of Mt. Hermon. Twenty-four species were obtained, 

 some of which are yet very imperfectly known. The ranges of others 

 are slightly extended by Dr. Phillips's collections. The country to the 

 south of Syria is inhabited by a typical desert fauna of genera which 

 for the most part are not found north of the Dead Sea region, where 

 they give place to more strictly Palaearctic types, as Apodemus, 

 Microtus, Eliomys. No new species were discovered, but the fine 

 series of Apodemus mystacinus from the vicinity of Mt. Hermon makes 

 it possible to determine the status of the form found in the Black Sea 

 forest of Asia Minor, and it is here described as new. 



Crocidura russula (Hermann). 



White-toothed Shrew. 



Sorex russulus Hermann, Zimmermann's Geogr. geschichte, 1780, 2, p. 382. 



No specimens of this genus were met with except in the country 

 about the western base of Mt. Hermon, at Rasheya, Baniyas, Ammik, 

 and Aithenit. The series of seven skins is of very uniform appearance 

 and seems to be indistinguishable from typical russula. 



PiPISTRELLUS KUHLII (Kuhl). 



Kuhl's Bat. 

 Vespertilio kuhlii Kuhl, Ann. Wetterau. ges. naturk., 1819, 4, p. 199. 



A single specimen of this small species was taken at Shtora, Syria. 



