On the Panda of Sze-chuen. 251 



XXXVI. — On the Panda of Sze-chuen. 

 By Oldfield Thomas. 



The Panda [Ailurus fuJgens) was recorded from Sze-clmen, 

 Western China, many years ago by M. Pousargues, but 

 neither he nor any other author appears to liave made a com- 

 parison between the Chinese and Himalayan specimens. 



The British Museum now owes to the generosity of Mr. F. 

 W. Styan a fine example of the Sze-chuen Panda, and on 

 comparing its skull with a series from Nepal and Sikim, I 

 find that it is so much larger as to deserve subspecific 

 distinction. 



In honour of its donor, to whom we owe so large a propor- 

 tion of our Chinese collection, I propose to call it 



Ailurus fuJgens Styani, subsp. n. 



Colour and proportions very much as in the trne fulgens, 

 although the anterior back is less noticeably darker than the 

 middle back, the back of the ears is less conspicuously black, 

 and there is rather less white on the cheeks and round the 

 eyes. But I doubt if any of these differences will prove 

 constant, as the Himalayan specimens vary in all of them. 



Skull conspicuously larger than in A. fulgens, and especially 

 far more inflated in the frontal region. While the frontal 

 profile in fulgens^ from nasal to vertex, is only slightly convex, 

 in Styani it is conspicuously swollen, owing to the large 

 frontal sinuses ; thus in Styani the measurement, taken with 

 callipers, from the hinder part of the palate to the most 

 prominent part of the forehead is no less than 46 millim., 

 while in fulgens it is only about 37. Brain-case more swollen 

 anteriorly in Styani, so that the outline, as viewed from 

 above, is more parallel-sided, instead of the even contraction 

 forwards found in A. fulgens. Zygomata stout and strong, 

 widely spreading j continued backwards above the meatus as 

 a broad upcurved ledge, far more developed than in fulgens. 

 Posterior palate broad, the posterior nares widely open. 

 Bulla? low and flat, but little inflated. Lower jaw with the 

 coronoid process very large, broadly spatulate, higher, broader 

 above, and narrower below than in fulgens. 



Teeth large and powerful throughout. Upper anterior 

 premolar large, triangular, with a large internal process. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in skin) : — 



Head and body 610 millim. ; tail 405 ; hind foot (s. u.) 

 (wet) 112; ear (wet) 60. 



Skull: greatest length 115; basal length 98; zygomatic 



