LEPUS. 453 



ashy grey. Tail almost entirely white, a few ashy hairs above near 

 the base. Some of the fur on the back of the neck is tipped with ashy. 

 Fore neck and breast pale rufescent, chin and abdomen white. Dorsal 

 fur ashy at the base on the shoulders,white in the middle of the back, 

 then dark brown or black followed by light brown, the tips of the 

 longer hairs black. Ears externally dark brown in front, white 

 behind, passing into ashy towards the base and black close to the 

 tip, the border of the ear buffy white almost throughout ; inside of 

 ear-conch with short brown hair near posterior margin, except near 

 the tip, where the hair is white. Eye-stripe whitish, whiskers 

 mixed black and white. The young is pale brownish or slaty grey 

 above. 



Dimensions. Head and body 22 inches, ear 4-75, hind foot and 

 tarsus 4'5, tail without terminal hair 4, with it 6 ; zygomatic breadth 

 of skull 1-5. 



Distribution. Tibet north of Nepal and Sikhim and probably 

 farther east at high elevations. L. oiostolus occurs also in some of the 

 high valleys south of the main range ; I have seen it in Sikhim near 

 the Kongra Lama pass. 



This species is closely allied to L. variaMlis, of which it and 

 L. Tiypsibius may perhaps ultimately both prove to be varieties. 



325. Lepns hypsibius. The upland Hare. 



? Lepus oiostolus, Adams, P. Z. 8. 1858, p. 520, nee Hodgson. 

 Lepus pallipes, Blyth, Cat. p. 131, nee Hodgson. 

 Lepus hypsibius, Blanford, J. A. S. B. xliv, pt. 2, p. 214 (1875) ; id. 

 Yark. Miss., Mam., p. 60, pi. iii, fig. 1, pi. iv a, fig. 1. 



Fur long, woolly, curly, and very thick, the hairs of the rump 

 nearly 2 inches long in winter. Ears scarcely exceeding the head 

 in length. Postorbital processes of skull large and bent upwards. 



Colour above rufous-brown, mixed with black on the back, rump 

 dark ashy. Tail entirely white. Lower parts white, except the 

 breast which is rufescent. Fur ashy at the base on the shoulders, 

 creamy white in the middle of the back, then there is a blackish 

 ring followed by a longer pale brown one, the extreme tip black. 

 Hair of rump ashy grey throughout, some piles black-tipped. 

 Outer surface of ears brown in front, whitish behind, with the ex- 

 treme tip black. 



Dimensions from dried skins. Head and body 24 inches, ear 4-5, 

 hind foot and tarsus 5 basal length of skull 2-8, zygomatic breadth 

 1-73. 



Distribution. The higher plains of Ladak such as Changchemno, 

 and also of Eukshu. Not known to occur below 14,000 or 15,000 

 feet elevation. 



This may be a variety of the last, but appears to be considerably 

 larger with shorter ears. 



