622 Prof. E. Lénnberg on Eastern [edgehogs. 
he named caligoni. In the same paper the author quoted 
says about auritus that “it does not go farther south than 
the Ust-Urt in the Transcaspian province.’ He adds 
further “the distribution of 7. auritus begins in the steppes 
of the Northern Caucasus, in the plains of the Manytsh; it 
then extends to the north between the Don and the Volga, 
up to the hillocks of Ergheni, and thence goes eastward 
through the Volga-Ural and the Kirghiz steppes approxi- 
mately between 45° and 55° N. lat.” The eastern boundary 
line he supposes to be at the Balkash-depression. In Persia 
another hedgehog (persicus, Satunin) is at home, and so on. 
It is then very difficult to believe that the real auritus 
should have another centre in Egypt. It appears thus most 
probable to the present writer that platyotis, Sundev., can 
defend its rank as a racial unit different from the Russian 
auritus. . 
The latter appears to be a larger animal, as Satunin 
records the length as amounting up to 210mm.; while 
Sundevall gives the same dimension of platyotis as 165 mm. 
The skull of auritus has at least partly larger dimensions. 
The zygomatic width of the same being about 30-31, while 
it is 26-27 mm. in platyotis. Least postorbital breadth of 
the former 12-12°5 (Satunin), in the latter (Sundevall’s 
type-specimens) 11-]1°2 mm. Breadth across m* in the 
former 19-19°2 (Satunin), in the latter 16°5-17 (fide Ander- 
son even 17°5). No doubt further direct comparisons of 
typical material will prove the distinctness of Sundevall’s 
platyotis. 
In connection with this, I take the opportunity of com- 
municating some remarks on imperfectly or not at all known 
hedgehogs from Eastern Asia. 
Erinaceus dealbatus, Swinhoe. 
Three specimens from Mi-Yiin-Hsien and two from Shun- 
J-Hsien, Niu-Lang-Shan, both localities in Chihl, Oct. 1920, 
presented by Professor ag Anderson to the R. Nat. Hist. 
Museum, Stockholm. 
The original description of this hedgehog is very short 
and unsufficient, but, to judge from the locality, I think the 
identification must be correct. The median parting of the 
spines on the crown with a naked area between them is well 
visible both in the younger and older specimens. ‘The latter 
are much lighter in their general colouring, because they 
have a great number of entirely white spines. The coloured 
ones are usually white at the base, then follows a very broad 
brownish ring, which, however, is not very well defined, but 
