374 On Voles from the Tian S/iun Ueyion. 



Characters, — A mctlium-sizecl, rather sliort-tailed species, 

 ■with fur long and soft and tail conspicuously pencilled ; 

 general colour not very strongly red ; tail conspicuously 

 bicolor, blackish above; skull essentially as in E.hercynicas ; 

 molars apparently not rooted as early as in true Evotomys^ 

 but otherwise strictly typical; third upper molar with only 

 two reentrant angles on inner side. 



Colour (Type). — Upperparts a mixture of hazel and ochra- 

 ccous buft', tlie former predominating on back, crown, nape, 

 and the latter on cheeks and sides, the hairs everywhere with 

 blackiih tips, but these producing no evident dark shading 

 excejit in sacral region and on outer surface of thighs. 

 Individual liairs blackish slate through basal two thirds, then 

 oeliraceous buff darkenii g quickly to hazel, the extreme tips 

 blackish. Underparts light smoke-grey, washed with ochra- 

 ceous buff. Feet pale smoke-grey. Tail sharply bicolor, 

 blackish above and at tip, pale ochraceous buff below. Ears 

 scantily covered with fine hazel hairs. 



Skull and teeth. — The skull does not appear to differ 

 a])preciably from i\\dii oi Evotomys hercynicus^ except that the 

 zygoma is weaker and less abruptly flaring anteriorly, a 

 character which may readily prove to be inconstant. The 

 molar teeth differ from those of Evotomys hercynicus in the 

 distinctly less rounded angles throughout and in the greater 

 relative de})th of the inner reentrant angles in the mandibular 

 teeth. Aside trom these general peculiarities the enamel 

 pattern does not differ from that of the European animal 

 except in the complete absence of the third inner reentrant 

 angle in the last upper molar. Size of teeth exactly as in 

 true Evotomys. 



Measurements (Type). — Head and body 85 mm.; tail- 

 vertebrae 35; pencil 9; hind foot 17'4 (16); ear from 

 meatus 12 ; ear from crown 96. 



Skull: upper length 2o'-k; condylo-basal length 23; 

 palatal length 12; diastema '6''d; zygomatic breadth 13; 

 interorbital constriction 4 ; breadth of brain-case above roots 

 of zygomata 11; mandible 15; maxillary tooth-row (al- 

 veoli) 5*8; mandibular tooth-row (alveoli) 5"6. 



Specimens examined. — Eour : three from the Koksu 

 Valley, at altitudes of 9000, 10,000, and 10,500 feet, and 

 one from Kapkak, 8000 feet. 



Remarks. — While this animal is so easily distinguishable 

 from the other known Asiatic species that no special com- 

 ])arisons are required, its characters are less unusual than its 

 geographic isolation would lead one to expect. In all proba- 

 bility, however, this isolation is only apparent, and tiie range 



