340 MICROTIN^ 



the mountains around Cetinje, Montenegro; ttis animal, un- 

 doubtedly new to science, was regarded by its discoverer as a 

 Snow Vole and received from him the name Microtus {Chionomys) 

 bogdanovi. The type of this species (a young specimen) and 

 an adult collected later at the same place were acquired by the 

 British Museum. On examining this material I was surprised 

 to find that the adult specimen had rooted molars and repre- 

 sented a new genus so far as living voles are concerned ; but on 

 closer study I have been unable to discover any character in the 

 palate, jaws and teeth which will serve to distinguish Martino's 

 vole from the Pliocene Dolomys. We therefore seem to have 

 before us one of those rare cases in which a recent mammalian 

 genus has been first detected by the palaeontologist. 



Range. — Fossil remains of the genus have so far been found 

 only in Hungary, where they occur in the Upper Pliocene of 

 Beremend and Csarnota and in the Lower Pleistocene of Piis- 

 pokfiirdo. As a recent animal the genus is known only from 

 Montenegro. 



Characters. — Dolomys is characterized chiefly by its normal 

 palate ; rooted molars in which no cement is present in the 

 re-entrant folds ; the Evotofnys-\[]^e general form of the cheek- 

 teeth ; and particularly by the presence of five substantially 

 closed triangles in m^. 



Palate normal, nearly as in Arvicola, its posterior median 

 sloping septum short and broad. 



Mandible with the alveolus of the lower incisor passing from 

 the lingual to the labial side of the ramus beneath the posterior 

 root of mg and terminating behind slightly below or at about 

 the level of the dental foramen. 



Cheek-teeth provided with roots in adult stages of growth; 

 m^ with three roots, of which the anterior two sometimes coalesce, 

 other molars with two roots each. No cement in the re-entrant 

 folds. Inner and outer re-entrant folds approximately equal in 

 depth and perfectly alternating. General form of the teeth, 

 particularly that of m^, recalling that of Evotomys, Alticola, etc. 

 Enamel pattern of m} and m^ normal; m^ nearly as in Arvicola 

 and Mimomys intermedius, with three well-developed salient 

 angles on each side, and with two or three substantially closed 

 triangles; first outer infold of m^ subject to reduction by insula- 

 tion in one species {D. episcopalis), the tooth then assuming 

 a form much like that seen in the m^ of Alticola and Hyperacrius ; 

 trij. with five substantially closed triangles, in addition to the 

 posterior and anterior loops, and with four outer and five inner 

 salient angles; mg and m^ normal, the outer angles of the latter 

 tooth more or less well developed. 



The foregoing description is based entirely upon the frag- 

 mentary fossils from the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Hungary 

 for which the genus was established. The discovery of Dolomys 

 among living mammals has brought, of course, many other 



