426 Mr. W. F. Grlffitt Bluckler on a new 



L. — On a new Species of Microtus from Asia Minor. 

 By VV. F. GiuFFiTr'BLACKLER, M.A., F.Z.S. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. Oldfield Thomas, I have 

 recently h;iJ tlie opi)ortuiuty of examiniiig at the Britisii 

 Museum of Natural History a number of specimens of small 

 mammals collected by ine in Western Asia Minor a few 

 years ago, and presented to the National Collection, On 

 careful examination of a vole, oE which three specimens were 

 obtained in the vicinity of Smyrna, I have been led to the 

 conclusion that they represent a new species of the genus 

 Microtus, although they have at the same time a superficial 

 resemblance to M. guentheri (Alst.), from Marash in Ciiicia, 

 and to M. liarthvji (B.-Ham.), from Thessaly, and I therefore 

 propose to give it the name of : — 



Microtus lydius^ sp. n. 



Somewhat similar to the typical M. guentheri^ but distin- 

 guishable from it by its longer tail and greyish-white belly as 

 well as by other minor differences. 



Description. — General colour above light fawn, presenting 

 a slightly grizzled appearance on the back proper, where 

 sotne of the hairs are tipped with black. Flanks more 

 brightly coloured owing to the practical absence of black- 

 tipped hairs, and slightly tinged with fulvous at the lines 

 separating them from the greyish white of the underparts. 

 The hairs are all slate-grey at their bases. Underpart of 

 body, belly, throat, and inner sides of legs uniformly greyish 

 white ; the hairs all slate-grey at their bases, and white 

 distally for about a third of their length ; but, owing to the 

 grey of the bases of the hairs showing through to a ceitain 

 extent, the general appearance is greyish white to pale grey. 

 In M. guentheri and in M. hartingi the greyish white of the 

 underside is washed with yellow, giving it (especially in the 

 former) a decided buffy appearance, which is totally absent in 

 these (Smyrna specimens. Ears moderate, very thinly clad 

 with hairs along their outer edges. Hind feet moderately 

 hairy on underside, but not nearly so much as in M. guentheri. 

 Both fore and hind feet are coloured pale fawn on the upper 

 side, a paler shade of the dorsal fawn-colour. Tail 

 relatively short, covered with short hairs, whitish below, 

 fawn above; it is roughly about one and a half times the 

 length of the hind foot. 



