412 MICROTIN^ 



8a. Arvicola scherman scherman Shaw. 



1779 ? Spalax minor Leske, Anfangsgrunde d. Naturgesch., 1, p. 168; 

 described from Germany. 



1801, Mus scherman Shaw, Gen. Zool., 2, pt. 1, p. 75. 



1801. Mus amphibius albus Bechstein, Gemein. Naturgesch. Deut- 

 schlands, 1, 2nd ed., p. 985; described from Thiiringen, Germany. 



1801. Mus amphibius canus Bechstein, Gemein. Naturgesch. Deut- 

 schlands, 1, 2nd ed., p. 985 ; described from Thiiringen, Germany. 



1804. Mus terrestris Hermann, Observ. Zool., p. 59 (not of Linnaeus, 

 1758). 



1804. Mils schermaus Hermann, Observ. Zool., p. 59; an alternative 

 for terrestris, proposed but rejected on the ground that the animal 

 was the same as that of Linnaeus; described from Strassburg, 

 Germany. 



1822. Arvicola argentoralensis Desmarest, Mammalogie, pt. 2, p. 281 ; 

 described from Strassburg, Germany. 



1829. Lemnms arvalis [3, bujfonii Fischer, Syn. Mamm., p. 298; 

 described from near Berhn, Germany? (Based on Brant's account 

 (Geschl. d. Muizen, p. 372, 1827) of two specimens in the BerUn 

 Museum supposed to be identical with the dark variety of " Le 

 Campagnol " described by Buffon, Hist. Nat. des Amin., 7, p. 372, 

 1758.) 



1839. Arvicola amphibius de Selys-Longchamps, ^fitudes de Micro- 

 mammalogie, p. 97, pis. i and ii, figs. 1 and 2 (in part; not of Lin- 

 naeus). 



1857. Arvicola amphibius c. Arvicola terrestris auct., Blasius, Sauge- 

 thiere Deutschlands, p. 355 (in part). 



1910. Arvicola scherman scherman Miller, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, 

 23, p. 21 ; Catal. Mamm. W. Europe, 1912, p. 745. 



1910, Arvicola scherman Trouessart, Faune Mamm. d' Europe, p. x. 



Type. — Unknown. 



Type locality. — Strassburg, Germany. 



Range. — Continental Europe from the Baltic southwards into 

 Southern Germany and Central France; limits of distribution 

 imperfectly known. 



CAaraciers.— External form and skull not so highly modified 

 for fossorial life as in the other subspecies. Palmar and plantar 

 tubercles distinctly reduced as compared with those of A . terrestris, 

 but not so reduced as in other subspecies of A . scherman ; sole 

 wrinkled towards the heel, but not distinctly granular, and with- 

 out evident pubescence. Hind-foot 26-27 mm. ; condylo-basal 

 length 35-6-36-4 mm. 



Colour of upper surface dark brown, near " Front's brown " 

 along the spine and between " mars brown " and " broccoli brown " 

 on sides; sometimes broadly suffused with light wood brown, 

 or the sides faintly tinged with dull buffy grey. Cheeks usually 

 like sides, not obviously contrasted with surrounding parts. 

 Under parts slaty grey, more or less washed with dull ochraceous 

 buff. Feet hair-brown to blackish. Tail blackish, or sprinkled 

 with whitish hairs below ; never distinctly bicoloured. 



Skull much like that of A. terrestris, but slightly smaller, the 



