Mammals from Arabia and Persia. 489 



" Gerhillus " calurus is another species of doubtful position, 

 and it appears probable that the examination of young spaci- 

 mens will show it to be also a Meriones. 



Vulpes vidpes arabi'ca, subsp. n. 



Allied to the Egyptian fox ( V. v. cegyptiaca), but smaller 

 and differently coloured. 



Size intermediate between V. vulpes and V. leucopus. 

 General tone of dorsal area rich tawny ochraceous, the hairs 

 being not or rarely grizzled with grey. In the Egyptian fox 

 the back is profusely grizzled and the general tone is much 

 deader and browner. Face, and esjjeoially crown, bright 

 fulvous, often conspicuous in specimens whose bodies are in 

 the brown, out-of-season, pelage. Ear-backs rarely deep 

 black, more often greyish, and sometimes scarcely darker 

 than the head. The usual light patches in front of and 

 behind the shoulders dull yellowish. Chin and belly dull 

 whitish ; chest with a variable amount of black upon it. 

 Tail of medium thickness, dull greyish fulvous, its tip gene- 

 rally inconspicuously white. Skull shorter, broader, and 

 rather more depressed than in the Egyptian fox. 



Dimensions of the type (measured in skin) : — 



Head and body GIG millim. ; tail 320; hind foot 130; 

 ear 98. 



Skull: basal length 120; greatest breadth 68 ; interorbital 

 breadth 24'3; breadth of brain-case 43"6 ; palate, length 64, 

 breadth between outer sides of // 38 ; outer length of ^/ 11'8 ; 

 greatest diameter of m^ 11-7, of iif 8*6 ; combined antero- 

 posterior diameter of the two latter teeth 12"7. 



Hah. (of type). Muscat. Other specimens from Aden 

 and the Hadramaut. 



Type. Adult female. B.M. no. 94. 3. 9. 1. Collected and 

 presented by Surg. -Gen. A. S. G. Jayakar. 



On account of its more vivid colour the Arabian fox seems to 

 deserve a subspecific name, though its considerable variability 

 makes it somewhat difficult to describe. Of previously named 

 forms Gray's " V. flavescens,^'' said to be from Persia, is a 

 much paler and longer furred animal. Blanford's V. persica 

 is probably synonymous with V.Jiavescens, but the type is in 

 such bad pelage that the point cannot be settled at present. 



Vulpes vulpes splendens, subsp. n. 



A large long-haired fox of a vivid fulvous colour. 

 Size large, skull equal to that of the largest Siberian foxes. 

 General colour above all over rich briglit tawny ochraceous, 



