398 Mi\ O. Thomas on 



cj. 3:^2. Mekong-Sal ween divide, 28° 20'. 7000-8000'. 



c?. 416. Mekong Valley, 27° 30'. 7000'. 



Of value as indicating the ranti^e of this form, whose 

 locality — " Mee-Chee " — liad not, T think, been definitely 

 identified. Very uniform in colour as a whole, though one 

 specimen has a marked tendency to the yellow sternal region 

 said to be characteristic of hivinohaphes, Glover Allen, of 

 S.l^. Yunnan. 



18. Rupestes forrestij gen. et sp. n. 



S. 26 ; ? . 2.5, 27. Mekong-Yangtze divide on 27° 20' N. 

 7000-9000'. 



RuPESTES, gen. nov. 



Related in essential skull-characters to Sciurotamias, but 

 more like Menetes in general appearance externally. Body 

 with a pair of whitish stripes. Anterior claws elongated, 

 rather blunt. Soles naked except posteriorly, a long addi- 

 tional sole-pad (as compared with Scmrotamias) halfwriy 

 between the heel and tlie digital pad at the base of tlie haikix. 

 Tail disticiious. Three pairs of inamnije. 



iSkull with very much the peculiar sliape of that of Schiro- 

 tamias, being of the same long, low, subcylindrical form, 

 whicii is more or less characteristic of ground-squirrels. 

 ]\Iuzzle long. Postorbital processes not greatly developed. 



Small anterior premolar completely absent, both in luilk 

 and permanent dentitions. Structure of cheek-teeth about as 

 in Scivrotami'aSy wholly unlike that in Alenetes. 



Genotype, liupestes forreati, sp. n. 



This new genus is a most interesting discovery, as it is 

 markedly different from any hitherto described. Its dental 

 formula is at once distinctive; the structure of its teeth and 

 the shape of the skull separate it widely from Menetes, and 

 bring it nearer to the otherwise dissimilar Sciurotamias. Its 

 long and rather blunt anterior claws are what one expects to 

 find in an animal iidiabiting rocky cliffs, and readily distin- 

 guish it from Sciurutami'cs, which also has much more hairy 

 soles and is without the long intermediate sole-pad of 

 Jiupestes. 



Mr. Forrest is to be congratulated on his discovery of so 

 striking a new animal, and I have much pleasure in connecting 

 his name with it. 



