CATALOGUE. 87 



specimen : length to insertion of tail, two feet ; tail, seventeen inches 

 and a half ; height, nearly fifteen inches at the shoulder. 



109. VULPES MONTANUS, Pearson Sp. 



Canis vulpes montana, or Hill Fox, Pearson, Bengal Sport- 

 ing Magazine, IV. p. 126, 1836. Journ. As. Soc. 

 Beng. V. p. 313. (From the Beng. Sport. Mag.) VI. 

 ;?. 934. Capt. Button's Trip to Burinda Pass in 1836. 



Vulpes montanus, Gray, CataL Hodgs. Collect, p. 12. 

 Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. XI. p. 589. 



Canis himalaicus, Ogilby, Proceed. Zool. Soc. 1836, p. 103. 

 Zool. App. to Royle's Botany of the Himalayas. 



Vulpes nipalensis, Gray, Mag. Nat. Hist. I. p. 578, New 

 Series. 



Hill Fox, Royle, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. I. p. 99. 



HAS. Nepal, in the central and northern hilly regions ; also 

 Tibet, Hodgson. 

 A. A skin. Presented by the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 



This species has been carefully described by Dr. Pearson, Mr. Ogilby, 

 and Mr. Blyth, in the works here referred to. Its exterior varies 

 slightly in different localities. Mr. Blyth's description of one of the 

 varieties agrees generally with the specimen contained in the Company's 

 Museum, some parts of which are imperfect. " Fur, exceedingly rich, 

 dense, and fine, the longer sort measuring fully two inches upon the 

 back, and the inner everywhere of considerable length and woolly cha- 

 racter. General colour, pale fulvous ; scarcely more than fulvous-white 

 over the shoulder-blades, and but little deeper on the sides, the haunches, 

 and tail appearing grayish, while the middle of the back is much deeper 

 and more rufous- fulvous than the rest, widening on the croup, and 

 passing into the grayish appearance of the haunches ; outside of the 



ears, deep (velvety) black to near the base Head, light fulvous, 



mixed with white, and marked as in other foxes ; the darkish streak 

 from the eye to the mustachial bristles faint, the latter black, and 

 cheeks and jowl white as usual. Limbs, about the same pale fulvous 

 as the head, the ordinary mark on the front of the fore-limbs incon- 

 spicuous, though indicated by grizzled black and white-tipped hairs ; 

 tail, bushy and white-tipped." (J. A. S. B. XI. 589.) 



Captain Hutton informs us, that " during the winter, especially when 

 the snow is on the ground, these animals are very numerous about 

 Simla, and come close to the houses in search of offal and other prey, 



