MELES. E34 
GENUS MELES. 
SUB-GENUS TAXIDIA. 
This sub-genus is that of the American type of Badger, to which 
Hodgson, who first described the Thibetan Z: Zewcurus, supposed his 
species to belong ; but other recent naturalists, among whom are Drs. 
Gray and Anderson, prefer to class it as JZees. Hodgson founded his 
classification on the dentition of his specimen, but Blyth has thrown 
some doubt on its correctness, believing that the skull obtained by 
Hodgson with the skin was that of AZeles albogularis. Hodgson, how- 
ever, says: “from the English Badger type of restricted AZe/es our animal 
may be at once discriminated without referring to skulls by its inferior 
size, greater length of tail, and partially-clad planta or foot-sole.” 
No. 172. MELES (TAXIDIA) LEUCURUS. 
The Thibetan White-tailed Badger. 
Native NamMe.— Zampha. 
Havitat.—The plains of Thibet. 
DescripTion.—Fur long, flaccid, dark iron-grey and white mixed; 
hair long, white, with a broad sub-lunate black band and a white tip; 
under fur abundant, long, white; a streak on each side of the forehead 
blackish grey, varied; chin, throat, legs and under side of the body 
black ; tail, sides of head, and body whitish.”—Gray. 
The aspect, according to Hodgson, is entirely that of a long-tailed 
Badger (Gray remarks : ‘‘it most resembles the European animal”), with 
somewhat smaller head, with longer, finer fur than usual; the entire sole 
of the foot is not naked, but only about two-thirds, and the toe-pads are 
very much developed, thus raising the powerful long fossorial claws from 
the ground in walking. 
Size.—Total length 37 inches, of which the tail, with the hair, is 
ro inches, and without the hair 7 inches; the longest hair of the body 
is 44 inches. 
There is not much known about the Zampha. According to what 
Hodgson was able to gather concerning his habits, “he dwells in the 
more secluded spots of inhabited districts, makes a comfortable, spacious 
and well-arranged subterraneous abode, dwells there in peace with his 
mate, who has an annual brood of two to four young, molests not his 
neighbour, defends himself if compelled to it with unconquerable resolu- 
tion, and feeds on roots, nuts, insects and reptiles, but chiefly the two 
former—on vegetables, not animals—a point of information confirmed by 
the prevalent triturant character of the teeth.” The colouring of this 
