96 RODENTIA. 



parts beueatli, and legs pale rust-colour ; throat white ; 

 feet and toes whitish. 



Inhabits Russia, within the Polar Circle. 



N.B. — This may prove to be identical with the L. 

 Norvegicus, var. A., or Lemming de Lap^onie of Desmarest, 

 described in this Manual. 



Lemmus lagnirus. 



Lemmus lagurus, Desm, Mamm. Sp. 455 ; De Selys, Micromm. 

 Myodes lagmnis, Pallas, Zoog. Ross. As. 



Desceiption. — Fur ash-grey, with a black dorsal line ; no 

 collar ; five toes on the fore-feet ; claws rather weak 

 the thumb a horny tubercle ; muzzle very blunt ; lips 

 rather swollen ; ears apparent, rounded ; eyes moderate 

 legs rather slender ; tail very short, hairy, and truncated 

 Fur fine and soft, about five lines in length on the upper 

 parts, which are pale ash-colour, mixed with some brown 

 hairs ; the dorsal line begins between the eyes, and runs to 

 the root of the tail, and is rather wider in the centre than 

 at the extremities ; the feet and the under parts of the 

 body are dull ashy and whitish ; whiskers whitish, shorter 

 than the head, arranged in five rows. In young animals 

 the general colour is lighter than in adults. 



Length of head and body, 3 inches 7^ lines ; head, 1 inch ; 

 ears, 3 lines ; tail (including the hair) in the male 6 lines, 

 in the female 4i lines. — F. M. 



Migrates, like the IS'orway Lemming, in vast multitudes, 

 feeding chiefly on bulbs ; but also eats flesh, and even de- 

 vours its own species (Pallas). 



De Selys Longchamps, ' Index des Mammif. d'Europe,' 

 gives Eastern llussia and Russian Lapland, as well as the 

 River Jaik, as its habitats ; Pallas says that it is found 

 from the Jaik to the Irtisk ; Desmarest, that it is very 

 common in the deserts of Tartary. 



