Mammals collected in Turkestan. 265 



coloured, and whose tail has a dark line along the upper 

 surface. 



The present is the most western locality at which any true 

 Alticola has been found, but there is little doubt that Chio- 

 vomySf the subgenus recently founded to contain the Microtus 

 nivalis group, is the nearly allied European representative of 

 Alticola. 



20. Ellobtus fusciceps, sp. n. 



c?. 69, 70, 72, 80; ? . 66, 73, 82. Samarkand. 2000'. 



Black of face extended on crown. Skull short and broad. 

 m'^ complicated. 



Size, as gauged by skull, scarcely larger than in E. talpinus. 

 General colour above buffy, rather darker and more intense 

 than ''pinkish buff," passing gradually through dull buffy on 

 the sides to soiled buffy whitish on the belly, the last lighter 

 than in true talpinus, darker than in rufescens. Face 

 blackish, the black extending further back than in other 

 species and not entirely giving place to the dorsal colour till 

 behind the level of the ears. 



Skull comparatively short and broad, zygomata evenly and 

 widely expanded. Muzzle short and broad, the incisors 

 rather less projected forwards than usual, their tips about 

 2 mm. nearer tlie molars than in other specimens of the same 

 size. Nasals not markedly narrowed behind, their posterior 

 end just level with that of tlie frontal premaxillary processes. 

 Brain-case smooth and little ridged, even in specimens with 

 the teeth quite worn down. Lambdoidal ridges well marked, 

 nearly evenly transverse, but sligiitly bowed forwards in the 

 middle third and very much as they are in E. tancrei, quite 

 different to the condition in E. fuscocapillus, intermedius, 

 lutescens, and woosnatni. 



Third upper molar complex, about as in nos. 9-10 of 

 Biichner's plate, therefore very different from the simple tooth 

 of E. talpinus and rufescens. 



Dimensions of the type (an old male), taken in the flesh : — 



Head and body 106 mm. ; tail 13 ; hind foot 21. 



Skull: condylo-basal length 31; condyle to tip of in- 

 cisors o2-8 ; zygomatic breadth 22'3; nasals 8x3*4; inter- 

 orbital breadth 5'4 ; palatal length 18 ; diastema 11 ; palatal 

 foramina 3'2 ; upper molar series 7 3. 



Hub. Samarkand. 



Type. Old male. Original number 80. Collected 20th 

 April, 1908. 



Externally this Ellobius differs from any of the other 



