538 RODENTIA 



backward so that its length is slightly more than double its 

 greatest width. Mammte : p 2-2, i 2-2 = 8. 



Colour. — Back a peculiar light brown perhaps best described 

 as a buffy, greyish isabella-colour, tinged with ecru drab on sides 

 of neck, and everywhere slightly clouded (not "lined") with 

 black. Median dorsal region with a sharply detined black stripe 

 about 2 mm. wide thrown into relief posteriori}! by a distinct 

 lightening of groutd colour along its edges. tSides ochraceous- 

 buff, not strongly contrasted with back, but distinctly more 

 yellow and with rather sharply-drawn line of demarcation ; 

 below the colour of sides passes insensibly into the lighter, less 

 yellow ochraceous-buff of belly. Ear black sprinkled with bufty 

 hairs and with a narrow butty edge. They are rather strongly 

 contrasted with surrounding parts, this effect heightened by the 

 presence of an ill-defined though evident patch behind ear. 

 Feet a light indefinite buffy brown rather lighter than belly, the 

 toes a little more pallid. Tail obscurely bicolor, sepia above, 

 dull cream-buff below. Longer hairs of back black to extreme 

 tip ; basal colour everywhere slaty. 



Sl^uJl and teeth. — The skull difiers from that of S. trizona 



Fig. 105. 

 Sicista loriger. Xat. size. 



FIG. lOG. 

 Sicista loriger. Xeetli. x 9. 



merely in the somewhat more slender rostrum ; least depth 

 behind incisors about equal to width in same region. Teeth as 

 in the related species, but discrej^ancy in size between premolar 

 and first molar more pronounced, the crown area of the smaller 

 tooth about one-fourth that of the larger. 



Measurements. — Three adult females from Malcoci, Dobrudscha 

 (in alcohol): head and body, 55, 56 and 58 ; tail, 69, 75 and 76 ; 

 hind foot, 14, 15 and 15; ear from meatus, 11, 12 "4 and 12. 

 For cranial measurements see Table, p. 541. 



Specimens examined. — Six, five from Dobrudscha (B.IM. and U.S.N.M.), 

 and one from Bulgaria, no exact locality (Lataste). 



BemarJcs. — The different specimens show no individual 

 variations worthy of note. From the better-known animal of 



