270 Mr. O. Thomas on Gerhils 



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. Biillce : greatest diag-onal 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 (ZT. LoftHn). 



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. Bail ward. 



This gerbil is most nearly allied to Lntaste^s longlfrons 

 from Jedda, on the Red Sea, but may be distinguished by it^ 

 smaller bullae. 



Mr. Woosnam says of it in February 1905 : — " Plentiful 

 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 Susain 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 M. persicus, 

 but with smaller bullae. 



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 wanner 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 persicus^ narrower across 

 the brain-case, and with very much smaller bullae. These 

 are without any antemeatal swelling, do not project so far 



