364 Mr. O. Thomas on Two new Chinese Rodents. 



Skull slightly smaller than that of S. castaneoventris, but 

 not differing materially in shape. 



Dimensions of the type (B. M. 86. 10. 28. o), an adult 

 female, in skin * : — 



Head and body (c.) 219 millim., hind foot 47. 



Skull : basal length 42*5 ; greatest breadth 28'5 ; nasals, 

 length 14*7, interorbital breadth 15*1 ; palate, length 24'5 ; 

 diastema 11*1; length of upper tooth-series (P— to ?^) 9'0, 



Ilab. Kiang-su province, extending south to Hang-chow. 



Type from " between Shanghai and Hang-chow," probably 

 Kahing, where some of the other specimens were collected. 

 One individual also comes from the Lushan Hills, Kiu-Kiang. 



Mr. Styan tells me that this species is very common in the 

 flat mulberry districts of Southern Kiang-su, and does not 

 overlap S. castaneoventris ^ which is only found south of the 

 Hang-chow Gulf, in Che-Kiang and Fokien, and only occurs 

 in the hills and not in the plains. 



The two species differ therefore both in their habits and 

 distribution. Nor has Mr. Styan ever seen any specimens 

 that appeared to be intermediate between them. 



The second species is a member of the genus Lepus. 



In December 1866 Mr. Robert Swinhoe obtained in Chefoo, 

 N. China, two skins of a hare which he at first supposed to 

 be new, but afterwards, apparently misled by a wrongly 

 labelled specimen in the Pekin Museum, referred to and fully 

 described as Lepus toIai'\, by which name it has become 

 known to Chinese sportsmen. A comparison with undoubted 

 specimens of L. tolai, however, shows that this Chefoo hare 

 is really a quite diflerent species, which therefore still requires 

 a name ; and I would propose for it, as only just to its dis- 

 coverer, that of Lepus ISwinhoei. 



Taking as the type Swinhoe's Chefoo specimen, B. M. 70. 

 7. 18. 16, 1 may briefly say that externally it is at once dis- 

 tinguished from L. tolai by its far deeper and richer colora- 

 tion, which is, both on back and sides, a handsome cinnamon 

 or clay-colour {Ridgway), while L. tolai is approximately 

 " cream-buff." The tail is also markedly longer, but agrees 

 in colour, very black along the top, white on the sides and 

 below. For further external details Mr. Swinhoe's descrip- 

 tion (p. 449) may be referred to. 



The skull of L. Sicinhoei is wholly different from that of 



* Of a .^pirit-spociuion ( $ ) : — Head aud body 197 uiillim. ; tail without 

 bairs 102 ; bind foot 4S-7 ; oar 15). 



t P. Z. S. 1670, pp. 4^31, 440, aud 631). 



