422 Mr. O. Thomas on 



The type of " Arctomys fulvus " * was obtained by Evers- 

 mann on the River " Kuwandschur,'' and a study of the 

 traveller's itinerary f indicates that this place was some 

 50-80 miles north of the Aral Sea, therefore clearly in the 

 region of what would be called Kirghiz Steppes. I there- 

 fore propose to take our Kirghiz specimens as representing 

 the typical race. 



These specimens are unfortunately only dealers' skins, not 

 well prepared, and without exact particulars, so that the 

 detailed characters are not easily made out on them. But 

 as gauged by the skull they are so much larger than the 

 Bokliaian and Persian races as clearly to indicate subspecific 

 distinction. 



The skull - measurements of an adult male are as 

 follows : — 



Greatest length 61 mm. ; condylo-incisive length 56"8 ; 

 zygomatic breadth 41*5 ; nasals 22*5 x 9*8 ; interorbital 

 breadth at notch 12'2 ; palatilar length 33'5 ; upper tooth- 

 row 15*4 ; molars only 10'2. 



In general colour G. fulvus fulvus is like the Bokharan 

 subspecies described below, much more strongly fulvous 

 throughout than in C. f. loarthianus, and the tips of the 

 caudal hairs similarly buflPy, not white ; the tail below with 

 a well-marked layer of bright ochraceous-buffy hairs. 



The other two subspecies may be distinguished as 

 follows : — 



Citellus fulvus oxianus, subsp. n. 



Size decidedly less than in \x\xt fulvus. General colour, on 

 the whole, very much as in that form, the back near " warm- 

 buff " of Ridgway, the head rather greyer but not con- 

 spicuously so. Sides creamy buff. Under surface buff, the 

 bases of the hairs blackish slaty, but on the throat the hairs 

 are buffy with whitish bases ; across the chest and on the 

 whole of the forearms the colour is warmer buff, approaching 

 cinnamon-buff; hands more greyish buff, like head. Hind 

 limbs buffy on outer side and on feet, warmer cinnamon buffy 

 on inner side. Tail with the rich cinnamon-buff of the under- 

 side hiding the black subterminal bands of the upper hairs 

 except at the end, so that in its lower aspect the tail appears 

 rich buffy, with pale buffy edging and subterminal black bar 



* Licht. in Eversm. Eeise nachBuchara, p. 119 (1823). 

 t T. c. pp. 28-29. 



