384 On the Beech -Marten and Badger of Crete. 



Meles meles mediterraneus^ subsp. n. — No. 95. 3. 3. 7, J , 

 Seville, Spain, IStli Oct., 1894, and No. 95. 3. 3. 8, ? , 

 Seville, Spain, 16th Oct., 1894, the late Lord Lilford ; 

 No. 99. 6. 13. 1, ? , Crete, 1899, H. O. Jones, R.N.— The 

 type is No. 95. 3. 3. 7. 



To the latter form ])robably belong the bad2,"ers of Asia 

 Minor, since a specimen obtained at Zebil,in Ihe Taurus, was 

 stated bj Messrs. Danford and Alston * to be nearly as pale- 

 coloured as M. canesceufi, although in some other respects it 

 resembled European examples. I have no skulls available 

 for purposes of comparison, but the colour-differences are 

 probably at least as reliable as those of the crania reliel on 

 by Mr. Blanford as characteristic of M. canescens. 



There is another subspecies, M. meles arenarius, which I 

 have not seen, described by K. Satunin from the Caucasus f, 

 and of which the original description runs as follows : — 

 " Meles affinis M. ta.vo, sed minor, statura graciliore, capita 

 albescente, utrimque vitta longitudiuali per oculos (uec per 

 aures) supra auresque ducta, ad nucham non latiore, cauda 

 longiore, dente molare superiore angustiore." It must be 

 very nearly allied to 31. m. canescens and AL m. mediterraneus. 



Ill conclusion, it may be interesting to give a few dimensions 

 (in millimetres) of some of the skulls of badgers in the British 

 Museum collection. The skulls of males are usually larger 

 and more massive, and have the sagittal crest much more 

 strongly develojjed, than those of females. 



M. 711. mediterraneus. 



Total length 



(basiou to Greatest breadth 

 gnalhion). at zvgoma. 

 S , No. 95. 3. 3. 7. Seville, Spain [the 



late Lord Lilford) 122 81 



$ , No. 95. 3. 3. 8 [ditto) 112 73 



M. m. ti/jncus. 



S (no locality) 130 85 



cJ, England 118 84 



(S , Co. Gahvav, Ireland [li. F. Hibberf). 



No. 95. 0:2. 1 117 83 



5 , Co. Galwav, Ireland [R. F. Hibhert). 



No. 95. 12. 3. 1 117 83 



$ , Sweden. No. 04. 3. 8. 1 117 71 



$, England 113 78 



5, England 112 76 



* P. Z. S. 1877, p. 274. 



t Archiv fiir Naturgeschichte, i\[ay 1895, p. 111. 



