270 Mr. O. Thomas on Gerbils 
20; meatal breadth 21; nasals 14°5; interorbital breadth 5°8 ; 
breadth across brain-case 17; palatine foramina 7:5; upper 
molar series 5°2.. Bulle: greatest diagonal horizontal 
length 15 ; back to antemeatal swelling 12°4 ; suprameatal 
triangle, length 5, height 3:5. 
Hab. Coastal plain in region of Karun River, Persia. 
Type from Ahwaz, alt. 220’. Mound of Susa (K. Loftus). 
Type. Adult male. B.M. no. 5.10.4. 38. Original 
number 22, Collected 30th March, 1905, by R. B. Woosnam. 
Presented by Col, A.C. Bailward. 
This gerbil is most nearly allied to Lataste’s longifrons 
from Jedda, on the Red Sea, but may be distinguished by its 
smaller bulle. 
Mr. Woosnam says of it in February 1905 :—© Plentitul 
all along the flat coast plain from Bushire to the Karun 
River”; but at the end of March he says “only a few here 
now, probably owing to failure of corn crop.” 
The Museum contains a specimen sent home by Kenneth 
Loftus from the Mound of Susa in 1853, two spirit-specimens 
from Ahwaz presented by Dr. Jayakar in 1900, and three 
excellent skins collected by Mr. Woosnam. 
Meriones ambrosius, sp. n. 
A naked-soled, bushy-tailed gerbil, related to IZ. persicus, 
but with smaller bulle. s 
Size rather large. General colour above a_ beautiful 
“ cinnamon-buff,” slightly darker on the back, clearer on the 
sides, the posterior back of a rather warmer tone than the 
anterior; more uniform and less speckled throughout than in 
most species of the genus. Under surface as usual pure 
sharply defined white, the line of demarcation rather high up 
on the sides. A white spot above and behind each eye, and 
another above and behind the base of each ear; ear long, 
coloured like head. Hands and feet pure white. Soles 
smooth and naked posteriorly, granulated and naked ante- 
riorly, but between the two, behind the granulations, there is 
an area with a certain number of small hairs on it. Tail 
long, rather heavily tufted terminally, the hairs attaining 
20 mm. and more in length in the tuft, which is all round 
the tail, not specialized as a crest ; main part of tail buffy, 
tuft dark brown. 
Skull rather smaller than that of perszcus, narrower across 
the brain-case, and with very much smaller bulla. These 
are without any antemeatal swelling, do not project so far 
