MARMOTA 



933 



about 150, hind foot ahout i)3 inni. ; condylobasal leiigtli of fully 

 adult skulls. 92 to 98 nun.) ; colours noticeably varied, the head 

 usually blackish with contrasted pale muzzle and cheeks, the 

 back blackish or greyish, the shoulders, sides and underparts 

 tawny or yellowish, the tail with extensive black terminal area ; 

 skull somewhat elongate, the postorbital processes standing so 

 far forward that their hinder border is decidedly in front of 

 narrowest portion of postorbital constriction ; anterior face of 

 incisors deep orange. 



External cliararters. — Form heavy and badger-like, the legs 

 short and muscular, the tail about one-third as long as head and 

 body, densely haired but not flattened, the head short, with 

 inconspicuous ears and rather broad, rounded muzzle. Ear 

 shorter than adjacent fur, its general outline rounded, but with 

 a slight backward projection above ; when laid forward the 

 extremity extends less than half way to eye. Muzzle pad bare 

 at middle, its outline not sharply defined above, the naked area 

 extending downward as a nairow line across upper lip, and out- 

 lined on each side by a deep groove running downward from 

 corresponding nostril. Feet robust, with long, slightly curved 

 fossorial claws, those of fore feet somewhat the better developed ; 

 fore foot with no trace of pollex or its nail,* the third digit 

 decidedly longer than the others, the fourth, second and fifth 

 successively shorter ; palm naked, with three confluent pads at 

 base of digits, and two larger, rounded jaads occupying posterior 

 half of palm, that on inner side somewhat projecting ; hind foot 

 with third digit slightly longer than the sub-equal third and 

 fourth, the fifth and first successively much shorter ; hallux well 

 developed, extending to middle of first phalanx of second digit, 

 its claw like those of other toes but slightly smaller ; sole naked 

 except at heel ; four sub-equal, partly confluent pads at base of 

 digits, immediately behind these two smaller tubercles, that of 

 inner side smallest. Mammaj :j^1 — 1; «2 — 2; i 2 — 2 = 10. 



Colour. — Upper parts a grizzle of black and light bufl', the 

 exact proportions of the two sufliciently variable to produce 

 considerable individual differences in the general effect, but top 

 of head usually blackish finely ticked with whitish bufl" in 

 evident contrast with less dark neck, and back behind shoulders 

 usually darker than region in front ; underfur of back slaty 

 black at base, the tips of the hairs forming a bufiy or greyish 

 band about 7 mm. wide ; when this band is conspicuously grey 

 it imparts to dark area of back a peculiar metallic sheen or 

 lustre : muzzle nearly to level of front of eye whitish or buffy in 

 abrupt contrast with dark crown ; cheeks a coarse grizzle of 

 blackish and buffy white ; underparts and inner surface of legs 

 a clear yellowish tawny-buff, this colour suffusing outer surface 

 of legs and sides of body, also a conspicuous area extending 

 upward immediately behind shoulder and partly separating dark 



* 'S'erified in twenty skins. 



